Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-08

NANt ~ dlIchuy PRODUCING PIE
irpn and that by 1861 will have
. capacity Of a million tons OF
steel. or one-sixth OF the ma
Y lions planned output.
81 To make this project possible
the Soviet government loaned
India about half the total cost
sl40 million lat az per cent
fnterest)--for the purchase OF
: Russian equipment. and sent in
800 engineers and technicians
who knew from experience al
Z home or in China how to put
up q modern steel plant from
( scratch. As in China. these
Russians have not tried to run
the show: instead. they act as
advisers and instructors to the
Indian staff officially in charge.
The result has been a smooth
working partnership based on
smutual respect.
I talked at length with both
the Indians and the Russians!
who. with their wives and chill
dren. now number some 1900.
Relations seemed cordial but
not intimate (there is not much
socializing). These conscien-
tious Russians were frankly
homesick-they don't care for
the hot climate--and anxious to
get on with the job. But they
and the Indians shared q mu-
tual enthusiasm for "our steel
mill" that transcribed differ
ences in political theology.
Symbol Of Determination
Bhilai is a vivid symbol Of
midas determination to indus
trialize as rapidly as possible.
It is also a symbol Of Russia's
decision to participate in In
dia's development in a spectac-
ular way.
Although Soviet aid to India
50 far amounts to less than
one-fifth of Americas SIG bill
lion worth Of grants and cred
its. they are selecting projects,
like Bhilai, that make head
lines. For example. the quiet
and continuing efforts of United
States agricultural experts to
increase food production never
receive the kind of publicity
that the Russians get each time
an Indian official cuts a rib
bon to dedicate one of their
newly completed blast furnaces.
American aid is certainly
appreciated by India's top
leaders-who know how our
shipments of food grains
averted hunger and a serious
imitation last year-but its i'm
pact on the people can be
judged by recent public opinion
polls which show that a con-
siderable number of Indians
now think that their biggest
benefactor is the Soviet Union.
Question Of Method
1t can be argued that India
is trying to do too much too
soon. and that the emphasis
right now should be less on
building steel mills that en-
ploy relatively few people and
more on increasing food pro-
duction. The per capita daily
calorie intake is only about
1900. This is far too little.
particularly in nation where
machines have not yet replaced
muscles. And the population is
growing at the rate of 6 million
year.
But the argument Is aca-
demic. The decision has been
taken by midas planners to
develop heavy industry. Two
good crops a few years ago
may have led them to under
estimate the food problem, but
in any case it would have been
hard to resist the glamor of
steel-which has become a SYM
boil of economic independence
in underdeveloped countries.
Plan 6-MiIlion- Ton Output
Thus, thanks to the Bhilai
project, to two other govern
ment plants going up with Brit
ish and German help and to
the expansion Of the great Tata
works and other privately owned
mills, India will soon be able
to boast of a 6-million-ton-a-
year steel industry. evenly di-
vided between the private and
public sectors. (For those who
deduce from official statements
that India is heading toward
full naturalization, I might
add that 80 per cent Of the
industrial output outside Of