The basic premise of capitalistic reforms started by Mr Singh in the 90s has been lost by Mr. Venkatesh and other doom sayers. Mr. Iyer is a hopeless case. The theory is that when little money is made by the rich they spend it which in turn puts money in the hands of the poor. This has been the reason that economies like the US have thrived and India is headed in this path. Upon examination, the reasons for bad governence and corruption are simple 1. Unfulfilled needs and 2. Easy way to beat the system with illegal means. Both are being tackled by the capitalist reforms. In the absence of good governence, the private sector has begun to organize itself on its own (eg. generators for electicity, use of pan numbers etc.) which is pushing the public sector to adapt or perish. The need for corruption is reducing due to the same phenomenon. Imagine getting a phone connection quickly without bribe even 10 years ago. Infrastructure is improving dramatically even in smaller cities. It's a matter of time before the reforms percolate to the rural areas. India is progressing in exactly the same way that most of the advanced nations progressed. India needs to develop world renoun from this point. However, all is not well with India. While India needs special mechanisms to bring it's illiterate people upto speed with it's upper class, the current system of caste based reservation is questionable. India needs to come up with serious plans to utilize it's massive but poor quality human and other resources. India is too self focused currently. It needs to come up with solutions for world problems in Energy, Water, Environment, Health and finally space. The question is not if but when.
