We need self-reliance and self-sufficiency
There seems to be some disappointment about the new government’s many silences! Yes, the Prime Minister is a very upright man and he only commands respect in the government. As for other ministers and other aspects of government, there are more positive hopes, rather than indications of positive steps.
Of course, inflation is playing spoilt sport with the government’s many claims on the economy. There is also the lingering memory: under the Vajpayee government there was much economic growth, faster and more visible. Under the present government, which boasts of many economic experts, there is this inflation thing and also there is much divergence of opinion about the exact direction in which the economy would grow.
There is new economy and the old economy. The new economy driven by the IT sector, India is now recognized, willingly or unwillingly by the USA and much of Europe, as an IT Super Power. The question is: Is the present government aware of this India’s enhanced status? We are not sure.
We want to bring the attention of the Manmohan Singh government to the need to recognize the IT’s potential to transform India. The new government in Delhi, as we see at this distance, from Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India, as a government tryingto plough through the old economy model of development. Even here we don’t see any over-all vision about India in the new century. Poised as we are in a geo-political space, side by side with China and also strategically with USA-UK axis to dominate the world as they fit. India is a large country, large economy and a larger democracy, right?
Does this government think so? If so, there is no visible indication from the policy pronouncements of the PM and his team. If not, we urge the government, the parties in the alliance, please do realize we are a big country with a reputation for peace and Third World leadership to steer the world through an independent foreign policy, to align with non-aligned Third World countries and see the world, the Middle East and much of the Asian Countries go with India and stop the US / UK adventures, for their own hegemony.
If the Congress Party and the alliance parties see this vision, then we have to draw up strategically independent self-reliant and self-sufficient policies in the globalised world. In such critical areas like agriculture, economic development and core industries like manufacturing, steel, infrastructure like ports, airports and even taking our higher / technical education forward, we need critically independent policies. We need to involve big people, big minds, achievers in policy making.
Our WTO man, Kamalanath and agri minister Sharad Pawar don’t seem to be interacting or talking out bold initiatives. Pawar don’t seem to be interacting or talking out bold initiatives. Pawar is an ambitious politician, so the key men in government might not tap his talent fully. Or, we don’t know for sure.
The point is this government seems to be preferring the low key approach. We hope only for the time being. But the time is running out fast. Even the Communists are not averse to co-operate for a major vision to make India a self-reliant power, a self sufficient economy in food security, energy security and defence, atomic power, space and technical education. IT has such tremendous potential, what S.M. Krishna and Chandrababu Naidu did in their states, along with Digvijay Singh in MP need to be converted into major rural development strategy for all the States.
Employment and unemployment can be tackled only through IT and spreading the Internet. The telecom revolution is only helping the Internet spread.
What is the policy of the Central Government in these IT application sphere. When will poverty be tackled unless we spread the Internet? This Government seems to be a vintage government of the pre-IT era, if we go by the thinking and policy initiatives.
Agriculture can be modernized and turned into a powerful performer, like US / EU agri sector only if we shed out Leftist thoughts. On controlling the agri sector and keeping up civil tensions in the rural India.