The Betrayed East: Policy, Partition, and the Perpetual Decline of India's Industrial Heartland
The Betrayed East: Policy, Partition, and the Perpetual Decline of India's Industrial Heartland Eastern India's descent from colonial-era industrial prominence to post-independence marginalization is a poignant tale of historical shocks and policy blunders. Resource-rich states like West Bengal, Bihar (including Jharkhand), and Odisha inherited vast mineral wealth but suffered deindustrialization under British rule, the devastating 1943 Bengal Famine, and the 1947 Partition's economic fractures. The 1952 Freight Equalisation Policy (FEP) marked a critical inflection, subsidizing mineral transport and diverting industries to western and southern states, causing capital flight, unemployment, and exacerbated social woes like corruption and Maoism. Comparative data reveals stark disparities: eastern industrial shares tumbled from 35% nationally in 1950 to 15% by 1990, while per capita incomes lagged 30-50% behind western peers. Policymakers, driven by ideological optimism...