Lakshmi Chand Jain (1925–2010) was a political activist and writer. Later, he served at various times as a member of the
Planning Commission, as Indian
High commissioner to South Africa, as a member of the
World Commission on Dams
The World Commission on Dams (WCD) existed between April 1997 and 2001, to research the environmental, social and economic impacts of the development of large dam, dams globally. The self-styled WCD consisted of members of civil society, academia ...
(WCD) and as secretary of the Indian Cooperative Union and the
All India Handicrafts Board (AIHB). His position as the ambassador was terminated as the Vajpayee Government felt that he had not defended India's position on Nuclear tests effectively in South Africa. He eventually joined the Indian National Congress. He was posthumously awarded
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan ( , lit. "Lotus Grandeur") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons w ...
, the second highest civilian award, by the
UPA government. However his family declined to accept the award, saying that Jain was against accepting State Honours.
Biography
While yet in his youth, Jain took part in the Quit India movement (1942). During the
partition of India
The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
(1947), he was put in charge of the refugee camp at
Kingsway Camp in
North Delhi. He helped introduce cooperative societies for farming and cottage industries into rehabilitation camps. As a volunteer organiser with the Indian Cooperative Union (ICU), he joined the rehabilitation project for refugees from Pakistan located in Faridabad, 20 km from Delhi.
Jain later helped
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay organise the Indian Cooperative Union and applied its principles to the handicrafts industry. As secretary of the All-India Handicrafts Board, he fostered decentralised production and directed training, technical services, and loans to India's struggling self-employed spinners, weavers, carpenters, and metalsmiths. He applied modern marketing techniques to promote handicraft sales abroad and organised the Central Cottage Industries Emporium to expand the market at home. He championed artisans against mechanisation and mass production, helping millions of independent craftsmen carry on traditional livelihoods in security and pride and assured the survival of precious arts and skills.
In 1966 he led the establishment of a chain of consumer cooperative stores where those living in cities could buy food, clothing, and tools at a fair price. In 1968 he co-founded a service-oriented consulting firm.
Jain worked with and on a number of development agencies as well as government committees and boards, such as the World Commission on Dams As part of the ICU, he helped set up the Central Cottage Industries Emporium and Super Bazaar cooperative stores.
Jain's wife was the economist
Devaki Jain; the couple had two sons and settled in
Bangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
. His son
Sreenivasan Jain is a news anchor, journalist, and currently managing editor with NDTV. In 1989, Jain received the
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, ...
for Public Service, for "his informed and selfless commitment to attack India's poverty at the grass-roots level".
Awards
In 2011, he was chosen posthumously for the civilian award Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India, but the family declined to accept the award since he had been against the concept of state honours.
Controversies
During his stint as the Indian High Commissioner to South Africa, the Indian Government headed by
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian poet, writer and statesman who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 ...
conducted nuclear tests in
Pokhran
Pokhran (official spelling Pokaran; ) is a town and a municipality located 112 km east of Jaisalmer city in the Jaisalmer district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated in the Thar Desert region. Surrounded by rocks, sand and ...
. LC Jain, who had been appointed by the IK Gujral government, was recalled by the PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998. National Security Advisor
Brajesh Mishra
Brajesh Chandra Mishra (29 September 1928 – 28 September 2012) was an Indian politician and diplomat from the Indian Foreign Service who is best known for serving as the first National Security Advisor of India from 1998 to 2004. He also se ...
was reportedly of the opinion that Jain had not effectively defended India's decision to conduct the Pokhran II tests. Reporters like KP Nayar argued that Jain was against the idea and had communicated this to the South African government. After the Pakistani High Commissioner claimed the tests were a major threat to Pakistan, Jain was asked how he, reacted to the tests.
Jain replied that, “nobody in the world can be comfortable with a nuclear device.” According to him, it was this statement that earned the ire of Mishra, who felt he shouldn't have said this and so asked for him to be recalled.
In December 2017, Rajiv Mantri made a charge against Jain calling him a certifiable traitor in one of his articles on the basis of his support to South Africa's opposition to nuclear tests by India at the NAM summit, later that year. In response to this Jain's son, reporter Sreenivasan Jain sent a defamation notice to Mantri.
Publications
*"Development of Decentralized Industries in India—Progress and Perspectives." Gandhi Marg. 2, no. 6 (September 1980): 307–29.
*"Obituary: Kamaladevi." Economic and Political Weekly, 26 November 1988, 2520–21.
*"Poverty, Environment, Development: A View from Gandhi's Window." Economic and Political Weekly, 13 February 1988, 311–20.
*''Power to the People: Decentralization Is a Necessity.'' Policy Issue no.1. Hyderabad: Academy of Gandhian Studies, 1980.
*"A tale of Two Programmes: The Mahatma's and Mrs. Gandhi's." Times of India, 26 November 1983.
*(with B. V. Krishnamurthy and P. M. Tripathi) ''Grass without Roots: Rural Development under Government Auspices.'' New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1985.
Further reading
* ''Naiptya Natak, Lakshmi Chand Jain'' (Hindi), biography
*Arati B. "A Crusader for Job Protection." Hindustan Times, 2 August 1989.
*Chattopadhyay, Kamaladevi. The Glory of Indian Handicrafts. New Delhi: Clavion Books, 1985.
*Indian Cooperative Union. Community Development: A Pilot Project under Non-Official Auspices. New Delhi: Indian Cooperative Union, 1961. Reprinted 1979.
*Indian Cooperative Union. Cooperative Law in India A Disquisition. New Delhi: Indian Cooperative Union, 1964.
*''Industrial Development Services: A Profile''. New Delhi: Industrial Development Services Private Ltd., 1986.
*Interview by James R. Rush. Tape Recording, 2 September 1989. Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, Manila.
'Gandhi Works, Always' (Interview with Shri Lakshmi Chand Jain)
References
External links
1989 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jain, Lakshmi Chand
1925 births
2010 deaths
Gandhians
20th-century Indian economists
Indian independence activists from Rajasthan
Businesspeople from Rajasthan
Rajasthani people
Ramon Magsaysay Award winners
High commissioners of India to South Africa
Indian cooperative organizers
Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs
Members of the Planning Commission of India
Indian academic administrators
21st-century Indian economists
Scholars from Rajasthan
Jain Indian independence activists