Yes, china may be doing better than india in certain sectors or even in many sectors, but the fact is, india was once better than china and we can better them again. Regarding your poverty statistics as to UN said 300M people were lifted out of poverty while 27M people were laid off between 1997 and 2003 is like comparing apples and oranges. Lay-offs are okay when it doesn't make sense in a micro-economic way for a company to cut costs or re-align business needs etc.. where as land grabbing for construction of ports, industrial townships and transportation create a parallel job for the present and the future. The statistics measure the overall development or how china is doing and how we are doing etc over various factors, while the 27M people who got laid off was left out because the development indicator used by UN probably wasn't inclusive of indidividual layoffs, or the total development is inclusive of the layoffs and other things like that as far as we know. Moreover, development is not a overnight thing, it happens in a much slower way, regardless of riots and tension, the government should put in measure everything to put India at the top.
In my view, the author gravely underestimates the problems faced by the Chinese Governement. It is quite possible that within about 10 years the Chinese communist rule may collapse and the economic miracle of China go for sixes and sevens. In India, there is no such possbility. The figures given by Ray are not authentic and do not reflect reality. How many Indians would like compulsory sterilisation which the Chinese regime imposes on its people? I remember that in the late 70s left wingers would speak a lot about Soviet success in various fields and within about 10 years the Soviet Union collapsed. Not a serious piece. Dr.G.N.Seetharam Australia
The problems highlighted in India are correct. There is rich poor divide. But we know all this because India is democratic & has free press. A massacre like Orissa will not find news in China. Not many people would know details on people's life of many parts of China. China shows the world what it wants to. While we Indians can't seem to keep anything hidden
The article is very interesting, the question remain in every honest indian, Do political system understand what they need to do, and commit to themselves.
