The economy bug bit me during weekend. I spent a lot of time reading about India and China's economic resurgence, their respective comparisons and threats and dangers to it. My exposure to China is limited to Hong Kong and Macau, not really mainland China, so no way for me to actually co-relate my experiences from what I hear. Hong Kong is impressive, Macau too though not in the same league as Hong Kong. But HK is a recent addition to China and it already had impressive economy and to their credit Chinese have kept it improving. Very impressive.
India is a story I understand better. The advances are impressive and the dangers real. Currently on a trip to US of A I often find myself in discussing the India story with ex-Indians and Americans. How things have improved though there is a very long way to go. My own feeling are of high, investments earning handsome returns, earnings increasing and life good and getting better(I hope). But behind all the shine, there are significant dark shadows.
Take a look - use Google, I'm too lazy at the moment to get the links here, the number of people living below $1 a day. Look at the number of illiterates ( and those who are in school may not be too well (see here). The education system is crumbling. The infrastructure growth is being hampered by the powers that be in government itself. Attitudes at work places are bad. Employment growth is pathetic and that is the biggest stumbling block in my view. Apart from social tensions ( look at the mess some of these SEZ/ highway projects/ dams and all are facing in getting land and all) it means 1/2 the population is out of the consuming cycle, perceives no benefit in 'growth' but has a vote share as much as those who do see the benefit.
What is stopping from politicians from coming out with an agenda of politics of poverty with all its dangers. If this happens it is not really the fault of the electors. If you have nothing to loose, you can try desperate measures which is what an unequal system often forces the lower rungs to do. That happening will take us back to the dark ages.
Hindi Literature in Mumbai
9 years ago
1 comment:
This is an emormous potential topic however i found an interesting article by Tavleen Singh in IE about SEZ controvery, the recent one in Bengal. I was also wondering how can Govt suddenly allocate a land for itself or it's private buddies for any project and compensate land owner with a pathetic price(The delta of price is huge). Where will they go. The point to be seen here is what were they doing. Farming a quarter acre of land? Getting a meal a day? It would be much better if a call center or a plant comes up, a dam is made, there are cabs to drive, dhabas to be opened and all associated economic activity opens up. Land reforms have never been a priority of our govt and hence all this drama and the hijackers like NBA. If these reforms come into play there will be better use of land and water and the agricultural equipmetns and Govt would not have to give eletricity for free as he or she will be a well to do land owner not a poor humble farmer.
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