Email
Print
ShareMumbai: On the prosperity index, India is ahead of China, ranking 45th. The latter lags far behind at the 75th position. In fact, India has done better among most promising economies in Asia. DNA asks if we can emerge as a super power.
Return of prodigals a great achievement
China may boast of glitzy cities and good infrastructure, but it is not an indicator of prosperity. India certainly scores over China as far as social capital, religious freedom and freedom of speech is concerned. The Indian economy has also handled the global slowdown much better than China. A few years ago, we were grappling with the problem of flight of capital and brain drain. Qualified professionals were going away to greener pastures and experts feared that it would intellectually impoverish us. Today, people are returning back to their homeland. This is the greatest achievement for the country.
--Deepak Agharkar
Democracy, educated work force are our strong points
I don't feel India is much better off when it comes to governance and freedom. We still have red-tapism and corruption eating into our system; we have a long way to go before we eliminate that. I would not like to emigrate now since I have spent all my life here. Democracy and an educated work force are our strong points. They are behind the growth and prosperity of our economy. I know about people who are working abroad, and are dying to come back. We are still lagging behind Asian countries like Singapore and Japan. It will be a long time before we can become a super power.
--Sudha Raisurana
We score on freedoms enshrined in the Constitution
I have travelled to many countries like Singapore, France, USA and China. At first glance, they may be very attractive since they have better infrastructure. But we score with the various freedoms that have been enshrined in the Constitution. Even in the field of education, we are progressing by leaps and bounds. Pupils from India have stopped looking at foreign countries as study destinations. In fact many foreigners have started coming to India to gain academic knowledge. All we need to do is create a link between curriculum and corporate job roles.
--Paresh Panchmatiya
Nation's key strength is unity in diversity, pluralism
Compared to other Asian countries, India is indeed doing well. Democracy means people have much more freedom than any other country. But if given a better job opportunity, I wouldn't mind going and working in another country. Education facilities need to improve. In India, education is theoretical, whereas in foreign countries educators focus on how knowledge can be used in practical situations. Therefore, people who have immigrated abroad prefer to stay there rather than return. India has a very strong plus point which other countries lack, we have unity in diversity.
--Herman Dsouza
Expertview
Great future ahead for Brand India
India has a strong cultural history and a rich legacy of tolerance and family values. These automatically ensure that Indians are more socially responsible and cordial with each other. More importantly, our democracy fosters path breaking entrepreneurship that matches the best in the world. This creates a healthy mix of prosperity and peace, therefore India ranks ahead of other Asian countries.
Functioning of a stable democracy that allows people to express themselves is our biggest strength. It enables us to choose our leaders and junk them if they don't perform.
In our education system, there is strong emphasis on mathematics and hard work, this sets us apart from the rest of Asia. But we need to work on controlling our population and generation of employment opportunities. The Indian middle class is the toast of the global marketers today, with so many brands coming in. Our soft power is also increasing. It is evident in the way Diwali festivities were celebrated in the White House. I foresee a great future for Brand India.
--Sanjay Bindra, entrepreneur
Curb poverty to emerge as a super power
Compared to other Asian countries, India is doing very well on the economic front. The global slowdown shook the economies of many countries, but we were able to manage through it well. And have also recovered swiftly. Nevertheless, there are many sectors like healthcare, sanitation and education which need attention. Infrastructure, both urban and rural, needs adequate support.
The government needs to remove blockages that are hampering our development and economic potential. Government participation as well as private sector initiatives have to go hand-in-hand.
Many foreign companies and joint collaborations have occurred earlier. Corporate groups will continue to invest in India, because we have a large population which translates into large demand. India can become a superpower, only if we concentrate on issues like poverty alleviation. More than 20% of India lives below the poverty line. We need growth in cities and hinterland; otherwise we will never be able to attain balanced economic development.
--Ashima Goyal, professor, Economics, Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research
