“Checklist for an emerging superpower”

Some pundits say India is poised to become a superpower in the next decade. Achuth Menon, 20 a Commonwealth Correspondent from India, argues the country must meet a number of goals before that happens.

India and her people will emerge in the forefront of world nations as a shining economic super power – provided the systems of governance undergo a massive overhaul with checks and balances. 

That overhaul includes a number of broad-ranging steps. 

Hard economic decisions have to be taken on the economic and social front. Those departments, ministries and bodies that have outlived their utility should be shelved. Implementation of new programs should be quick and speedy, leaving no room for delay at any cost. Money meant for the programs designed for amelioration and betterment of the poor should not be diverted or diluted, in order that resources go to the beneficiary for which the program is meant. 

According to economic experts, every year should be a year of stock-taking for all schemes and programs in the agriculture industry and other sectors of the economy. The review should ensure the common man finds a place of significance and importance in every scheme and program devised by the government. 

There need be no appeasement, and only merit should be the criteria for anything and everything. The government of the day should be a strong facilitator, and all regulating mechanisms should be dissolved. 

People should be given the prime focus, with decisions made in accordance with their needs, aspirations, and preferences. There should be free enterprise in every sector, and entrepreneurship must be encouraged at all levels. 

Educated youth should be stimulated and motivated to create jobs by going for self-employment rather than chasing jobs. 

Qualifications should not be given importance for selecting a person for a job. What is required is whether the individual is able to perform and results achieved in the chosen field of activity. 

Scarce resources should not be frittered away as the government decides. Instead, what the government should do is to concentrate on only three areas – social welfare, law and order, and external security. The rest of the economy should be left open and market forces should be the sole determinant, with the government acting only as a facilitator. 

Only then will investment pick up in all sectors and will jobs on a massive scale be generated. A supportive financial system should be in place for small and medium enterprises, which is where job growth will come from. 

Rural areas and occupations practiced by the rural folk should be given the necessary impetus in the government’s social welfare programs. 

The responsibility for both function and finances should be at the local government level, because it interfaces with the people. Every government intervention should be high not only in ambition and language but also in action from the grass root level. 

Short-term or stop-gap adjustments should be dispensed with in any economic activity if India has to stand up and emerge as a super power in 2025. 

photo credit: wili_hybrid via photopin cc

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About me:
I am a graduate in commerce from the University of Calicut, with a diploma in journalism. At present I am a reporter for Associated News of India based at Palakkad, which serves print, electronic, and web-based media in different parts of the country.

I have inherent passion, dedication and enthusiasm. My motivation as a journalist is to give coverage of the oppressed and suppressed that will bring their challenges and issues to the attention of people at the helm of affairs.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?

To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/commonwealthcorrespondents/

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