Remember? I had written about the stimulus package on december 4th. After that I thought that I should take a break in posting data. The entire package came in two stages and now the petrol and diesel prices cut will also come in two phases. Indian polity probably does not believe that the current slowdown is for real therefore the speed of response is that slow.
All through Indian contemporary history economists have derisively chided our economy and called it the hindu rate of growth.
Let us spend some time on this phenomenon of hindu rate of growth.
Indian inaction is legendary by now. Inaction in war, inaction in peace and inaction in strategy. One of our erstwhile Prime Ministers famously quoted "deciding not to do anything is also a decision". Our politicians, most of whom are lawyers are used to biding time and asking for adjournements in courts of law. They bring this innate trait to the governance table and wish away the problems thinking that time is the greatest healer. Since these lawyers are used to asking for time and biding time theie cases and thier governments bide time till the defendant or in this case the economy dies on its own.
Economies do not die as people have their own ingenuity for survival. They somehow survive based on their "jugad" (thats the hindi word for improvisation). This "jugad" keeps the Indian economy from going to the ruins. Since, government is ambivalent about the economy the entrepreneurs themselves find ways to prosper. This leads to slower growth with no incentive to grow faster and farther.
That's why we have the hindu rate of growth. India was pushed by the IMF to liberalise, privatise and globalise its economy as the economy was in trouble, now that the troubles are over and as our ex-FM said "A finance minister of any country would be ready to give his right hand for a slowed down growth of 7% in GDP". Complacency has set in, Government is counting months in power, elections are around the corner and government bides time letting prices to go south (PRICES ARE NOT GOING SOUTH BECAUSE OF SUPPLY AUGMENTATION BUT BECAUSE OF REDUCED CONSUMER CONFIDENCE AND REDUCED EARNINGS) thinking that lower inflation will be good for a return to power for the ruling alliance.
The ruling alliance needs to know that people of India want action not inaction. With the proliferation of communication networks, it is impossible to gag people and run the government on rumour mills and PR programmes. Decisive action is needed and it can only come from men of action. So where are our men of action can anybody stand up to be counted?
All through Indian contemporary history economists have derisively chided our economy and called it the hindu rate of growth.
Let us spend some time on this phenomenon of hindu rate of growth.
Indian inaction is legendary by now. Inaction in war, inaction in peace and inaction in strategy. One of our erstwhile Prime Ministers famously quoted "deciding not to do anything is also a decision". Our politicians, most of whom are lawyers are used to biding time and asking for adjournements in courts of law. They bring this innate trait to the governance table and wish away the problems thinking that time is the greatest healer. Since these lawyers are used to asking for time and biding time theie cases and thier governments bide time till the defendant or in this case the economy dies on its own.
Economies do not die as people have their own ingenuity for survival. They somehow survive based on their "jugad" (thats the hindi word for improvisation). This "jugad" keeps the Indian economy from going to the ruins. Since, government is ambivalent about the economy the entrepreneurs themselves find ways to prosper. This leads to slower growth with no incentive to grow faster and farther.
That's why we have the hindu rate of growth. India was pushed by the IMF to liberalise, privatise and globalise its economy as the economy was in trouble, now that the troubles are over and as our ex-FM said "A finance minister of any country would be ready to give his right hand for a slowed down growth of 7% in GDP". Complacency has set in, Government is counting months in power, elections are around the corner and government bides time letting prices to go south (PRICES ARE NOT GOING SOUTH BECAUSE OF SUPPLY AUGMENTATION BUT BECAUSE OF REDUCED CONSUMER CONFIDENCE AND REDUCED EARNINGS) thinking that lower inflation will be good for a return to power for the ruling alliance.
The ruling alliance needs to know that people of India want action not inaction. With the proliferation of communication networks, it is impossible to gag people and run the government on rumour mills and PR programmes. Decisive action is needed and it can only come from men of action. So where are our men of action can anybody stand up to be counted?
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