China India

China v/s India – The Price of Democracy ???

Liberation from whom?

After liberating itself from the clutches of Chairman Mao Zedong China was virtually flying to progress and prosperity, alas India had no Mao from whom it could be liberated as it was already liberated from the British and was at the cross roads of history getting ready for “a tryst with destiny” in the words of India’s first Prime Minister. Alas! a tryst with destiny it was not, a stagnation of destiny it turned out to be.

Poverty stricken, a status symbol !!!

It was the misfortune of India that poverty being signified as a symbol of greatness and affluence as a sin. Here people vie to be included in the “below poverty line” (BPL) status. Industries here try its level best to be as tiny as possible as big industries are frowned upon and punished by the so called “proletarian” governments. These small industries remain as a perpetual burden to the people and the nation as they never upgrade their technology or management skills, and keep their reputation of tax compliance to pitiable levels.

A dream team, but hands-tied

When the immediate neighbor China welcome multinationals with high technology and top management skills and reap rich harvests of prosperity, what makes India shy going global remains hard to understand. Prime Minister Manmohansingh, President APJ Abdulkalam, and Finance Minister Chidambaram make a dream team that can make any other nation jealous, but with the supports and threats of the left have tied the hands of these gentlemen to such a level they are forced to act and speak like hard core communists doing much harm to the progress of this nation. When China could lift its millions away from penury, it seems India’s left likes them to be in the “BPL” status for ever (progress may shrink their rank of havenots!).

Monolith v/s “heterolith”

When China is a monolithic state with one religion, language and culture, India remains Just the opposite, it is multilingual, multi religious, and multi everything. The game leaders play in an immature democracy harping language and caste is something unheard of in China.

A “casteist” government

Ending of poverty must be the prime target of the government which rules a nation with about 50% population living just hand to mouth existence. But winning next election seems to be the sole aim of the dream team. What else would be in the mind of the rulers who frequently talk about the caste details of the staff working for the corporate entities? China has a great relief as its government can rule freely without resorting to such low class moves as next election is not a concern for them.

Education, education and education

The backwardness in the rural areas can be solved only by education and education alone. The present state of government schools and the curriculum followed is not fit to produce employable population. Good private schools are located in towns and the fee they charge is unaffordable to BPLs (people of Below Poverty Line group). What our policy makers have done to address this problem is little nothing. Allowing rural students to study in good schools by granting scholarships have not entered in the heads of our strategists (It would be thrice cheaper than producing “obsolete scholars” with illiterate school masters” as it is done today.

Water! Water! Everywhere, nor any drop to drink!

When China has recognized the importance of English it was not shy to “import” teachers from Britain so that its students could learn good English. Politicians and some obscurantist elements still see English as a vestige of old British Empire and hence do nothing to improve the standard of English-teaching at the schools. As a result majority of the population remains unemployable when some sectors which are badly indeed of qualified staff. When BPO firms are toiling to meet man-power shortage, shipping services are pleading for permission to engage foreign staff to run their fleet. In a sea of unemployed they remain thirsty.

Blind leading the blind

How students with quality can be churned out of a school which is manned by faculty who are incapable of writing or speaking good language. Barring an elite few living in the towns and who can afford costly education, graduates who pass out remain unskilled and unfit for good jobs. What these governments have done to enable poor villagers to access quality education. The government which is ignorant of the value of real education is actually un-educating students! Leaving poor people to the mercy of government schools and destroying the future of the village children is not a credit to any government.

More and more loans

It is widely believed that giving more loans to farmers will increase the yield and the “wise” ministers and activists are arguing for allocating for more and more funds to the farmers. All the money ends up as dowry payments to their daughters’ marriage or acquiring luxury goods of no productive purpose. It is natural that these loans end up as NPAs (non-performing assets – a banker’s jargon). If forced to repay the loan the farmers may commit suicide, even now farmers are well-known for their death wish. An illiterate farmer cannot be expected to be much better either.

Corporatise it !!!

When corporates are ready to grab any opportunity that comes their way, why this cumbersome job of agriculture be left to the poor farmers who have no knowledge on modern farming or modern technologies? How a farmer who finds it hard to find both ends meet can invest heavily in agriculture? The corporates will and can pay more to the farmers than what they earn at present by managing their farms themselves.

A billion dollar question

The corporatisation of agriculture is accused as a cover for land grabbing is the politician’s argument, by framing effective laws it can simply be done by not changing ownership of the land. Through better agricultural management, capital inputs and farming techniques, the face of Indian agriculture will see dramatic changes. Will our politicians listen is the billion dollar question. Jai Jawan Jai Kisan! (victory to the soldier and victory to the farmer!)