The major overhaul if at all we need to improve India is about agriculture. India was and is an agrarian country. The article is well-written but it fails to answer a few questions: If India has to adopt manufacturing to come to the centrestage of the world, what are we going to do with agriculture? 70% of Indians derive their livelihood directly from agriculture. When India will embrace manufacturing, what will happen to them? Today, we are not self-sufficient in food. With emphasis on manufacturing and neglect of agriculture, we will create a massive socio-economic problem. It will uproot the farmers from agriculture as land will be required for setting up plants. It will 'rape' fertile lands and drive away the farmers as it happened in Nandigram. These farmers will not be absorbed by manufacturing as they are unskilled. So, they will migrate to the cities. Our cities which are already choking due to unplanned growth, will choke further. Manufacturing will cause India's GDP growth but it will fail to create jobs as the service sector can create. In fact, it will cause environmental damage in the name of development. People see China as a success story. Hundred years from now, when the environmental damages of that will come forward, the world will realize the flaws in the Chinese model. The excessive governmental control over media in China has always hidden the actual costs of development. We should not insist development at any cost. At the end, we may end up with loss.
RE:Wake Up India! Time is running out!
by Ramu on Jul 04, 2007 12:57 AM Permalink
Omkar, what else you expect from govt on agriculture. Farmers have no income tax,subsidised fertilizers & power(supposedly free in some states) and seeds. Then they have loans which are often waved. Govt has built so many damns, irrigation projects putting thousands of crores of money. How govt got this money, by taxing the employees and businesses. When they commit suicide, Govt gives them exgratia too.What else you want to give to these people?salary?
A country of 1 billion people will not become a developed country unless we industrialise rapidly.Look at all the developed countries, they became rich because of industry and technology not by Agriculture.
Most of the times Agriculture is like gambling which bets heavily on the Rain.
Ofcourse I am not against Agriculture. We should be completely self sufficient and in the future too. At the same time its sad to see even with most fertile land in the world and so many people working in this sector we are not fully self sufficient.
RE:Wake Up India! Time is running out!
by Ramu on Jul 04, 2007 01:00 AM Permalink
Hardly 5% of the population works in service sector and you know its contribution to GDP?It is 50%.
RE:Wake Up India! Time is running out!
by Komaragiri Ramana Rao on Jul 04, 2007 02:06 AM Permalink
What are major obstacles which prevent development of India ? In my opinion and 50 years of experience in India, they are 1) All pervading and deep rooted corruption. 2) Communist ideals " I do not work; I do not allow others to work" I have no duty, no responsibility, no accountability; I want all benefits from Government or employer as a matter of birth right, irrespective of performance, quality, turn-over or profits. 3) Politicians are all goondas, thugs, and trouble shooters; they are the main negative force for development of the nation. 4)Reservation Policy which puts merit and efficiency in grave; it puts crown on lethargy, incapability and inefficiency. If these continue, India can not become a great and really developed nation even after 50 or 100 years. Self pity and self-praise, both are useless and lead us no-where. It is necessary India sincerely follows examples of Japan and Singapore and learn how they strived for development during 1950-2000 period, and achieved develpment.
RE:Wake Up India! Time is running out!
by Ramu on Jul 04, 2007 02:28 AM Permalink
Very valid points. Nobody talks about points 2&4 openly. No movies made on this subjetcs..
