Need to show urgency in reshaping India
On the eve of sixtieth anniversary of Independence, I get the dominant feeling that at long last we, as a nation, have arrived.
On the eve of sixtieth anniversary of Independence, I get the dominant feeling that at long last we, as a nation, have arrived.
We have arrived, and the world is taking note of us. After years of isolation, India has just been recognized as a member of the nuclear club, after the 123 agreement with the United States. We are playing a critical role in multi-lateral negotiations. Our companies are now being called the “Marauding maharajas” after their recent acquisitions abroad.
International consultants are calling our markets as “The Bird of Gold”. Multi-national companies are vying with each other to enter India. The economy is resilient and we can now take in our stride the rising oil prices and yet add to our hoard of foreign exchange reserves. We have achieved food security –absence of which had haunted the country for decades. We are ambitious and talking of mega-scale investments.
Above all, these have been achieved within the framework of a functioning and garrulous democracy. We have democratic institutions from our national parliament to local panchayats. If today it appears that India could not have any other system of governance than democracy, we have come a long way. At the time of Independence, it all looked so very shaky. Winston Churchill was booming from British parliament about the fragility of India as a nation, how “powers will go into the hands of rascals, rogues and freebooters”.
At the same time, we have a long way to go. While we have gained remarkable successes, we still have been plagued by some stark failures. We have failed to provide the educational structure that is needed for a growing economy and an egalitarian society. We are far away from universal literacy; quality of education provided at the secondary level is widely varying; the structure and machinery for vocational education is indifferent and often absent. We need to extend the network for higher learning. Our healthcare systems are falling apart, where there are some structures and facilities available. For the vast masses, healthcare facilities are conspicuously absent. Hygiene and sanitary conditions are appalling and safe drinking water is still a far cry.
But I am optimistic. In the last 60 years we have achieved something. Yet we have a long distance to travel. We need to show urgency in reshaping India and reaching the basic necessities of life to our billion people. I hope that the next 60 years will see India healthier, literate, educated and a front-runner in this knowledge century.
(The author is the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industries.)
We have arrived, and the world is taking note of us. After years of isolation, India has just been recognized as a member of the nuclear club, after the 123 agreement with the United States. We are playing a critical role in multi-lateral negotiations. Our companies are now being called the “Marauding maharajas” after their recent acquisitions abroad.
International consultants are calling our markets as “The Bird of Gold”. Multi-national companies are vying with each other to enter India. The economy is resilient and we can now take in our stride the rising oil prices and yet add to our hoard of foreign exchange reserves. We have achieved food security –absence of which had haunted the country for decades. We are ambitious and talking of mega-scale investments.
Above all, these have been achieved within the framework of a functioning and garrulous democracy. We have democratic institutions from our national parliament to local panchayats. If today it appears that India could not have any other system of governance than democracy, we have come a long way. At the time of Independence, it all looked so very shaky. Winston Churchill was booming from British parliament about the fragility of India as a nation, how “powers will go into the hands of rascals, rogues and freebooters”.
At the same time, we have a long way to go. While we have gained remarkable successes, we still have been plagued by some stark failures. We have failed to provide the educational structure that is needed for a growing economy and an egalitarian society. We are far away from universal literacy; quality of education provided at the secondary level is widely varying; the structure and machinery for vocational education is indifferent and often absent. We need to extend the network for higher learning. Our healthcare systems are falling apart, where there are some structures and facilities available. For the vast masses, healthcare facilities are conspicuously absent. Hygiene and sanitary conditions are appalling and safe drinking water is still a far cry.
But I am optimistic. In the last 60 years we have achieved something. Yet we have a long distance to travel. We need to show urgency in reshaping India and reaching the basic necessities of life to our billion people. I hope that the next 60 years will see India healthier, literate, educated and a front-runner in this knowledge century.
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(The author is the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industries.)
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