This article beats my logic. If there are no islands of prosperity (which pay taxes) in this country, where will Government of India get money from to dole out 40 Billion Dollars (1.7 lakh crores of Rupees) to the poor of India in terms of the fabled employment guarantee scheme? It apprears that we are going back to Indira's days when economic success was equated to social crime!
The concept of having one set of laws for the nation and another for some exclusive SEZ is inherently undemocratic and unfair. It might work for a totalitarian system like China but not a good idea for India. I think the best solution out of this mess is to scrap the whole idea.
Policies for industrial and economic growth should be formulated taking into account the social and political conditions that prevails in India.
While borrowing a concept from another country it should be ensured that the concept suits the conditions in India.
As the article rightly points out, China adopted for massive expansion of its SEZs, in order to infuse a capitalist growth concept into a socialistic pattern of governance. Going in for indiscriminate adoption of the concept of SEZs, without taking into account the negative impacts, such as acquisition of farmland and loss of tax revenue, would have a long-term impact on the economy.
Those dark hints of Mr.Ninan are probably the truth - proving once again that, collectively, we are a nation of rent seekers.Unfortunately,rent seeking is a zero sum unproductive game benefitting only a few and leaving behind the vast majority in economic doldrums.
Its always easy to stand out and point. Every time our government takes some initiative there come thousands of critics asserting that it won't work. Although the writer gives some logical flaws in the existing SEZ policy of government, he could not contibute much to solve this problem. Thats the problem in democracy. Once we've elected our representative all we can do is sit back & criticize. And the government in order to please everyone takes 2 step backward for every 1 step forward. Take the case of OBC quota in educational institutes & private companies, its regressive by any measure. What we need is not democratic or republic or autocratic or dictator system but an out of the box beuocracy, custom made according to Indian needs 7 psychology. And guess what.....i'm doing out the easiest possible thing....stand out & point.
RE:Long Live Democracy
by K.Sekar on Oct 08, 2006 07:46 PM Permalink
Labrea, Most Indians would view your remarks as bitterly cynical but the line between cynicism and objectivity will not be seen by the myopic fools you have referred to.You are in the microscopic minority of Indians who see the truth but do not stand a ghost of a chance of seeing India improve thanks to the tyranny of the blind majority of the democracy.
When the big robbers and thieves get involved in SEZ this is all that we can expect. Previously petty mafia was involved in real eastate now the big guns in cahoots with politicians have institutionalized land grabbing. This is the gift of UPA govt. Corrupt to the core all the UPA govt. has done is to institutionalize coruption.
The prime minister's office is reduced to a lower division III clerk's office -it can hardly do anything to stop these bunch of senile congress barons from abject corruption and mutilation of every pssible law of the land for personal gain.
4 mistakes and the SEZs 'fuss'
by labrea on Oct 01, 2006 08:33 PM Permalink
India is a totally corrupt land, so it should come as no surprise that every idea and initiative for development is corrupted by self-centered, corrupt netas and business-wallahs to suit their own selfish ends. Corruption reigns, but sycophancy and butt-licking reigns supreme, and that's why India will forever remain a fetid, backward, poverty-stricken land of filth and squalor - no one has the balls to stand up and do the right thing in this oppressive land run by myopic fools!
