CrystallizingViews

Why India Should Increase Its Defence Expenditure: Exploring the Benefits and Necessities

2023-04-20T15:24:00.000+05:30

In the current global geopolitical climate, India's defence expenditure has become a critical issue. With the emergence of new challenges and threats, it has become imperative for India to increase its defence budget. India needs to be prepared to safeguard its economic interests globally and provide stability to the region while dealing with rising China, which is slowly unbecoming India's Ocean. In this blog post, we will explore the reasons why India should increase its defence expenditure.

Protecting Economic Interests Globally

India's economy is growing at a rapid pace, and it has emerged as a major economic power in recent years. As India's economic interests expand globally, it becomes essential to safeguard them. A robust defence system is necessary to secure trade routes, ensure the safety of investments, and protect economic interests globally.

Provide Stability to the Region

India is the dominant player in South Asia and has a significant role in maintaining regional stability. Increasing its defence expenditure would enable India to become more dominant in the region and project itself as a responsible power. A robust defence system will also help India deal with potential conflicts in the region and maintain peace.

Dealing with Rising China

China's rapid military expansion and aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean have become a significant concern for India. China's military budget is five times that of India, which puts India at a disadvantage. Increasing India's defence expenditure will enable it to deal with China's growing military might effectively.

Become a Global Power

India aspires to become a global power and wants to be recognized as one. A robust defence system is essential for India to become a global power. India's defence expenditure is currently only a fraction of the global military spending, and increasing it will enable India to project its power globally.

Threats from China and Pakistan

China and Pakistan pose significant security challenges for India. Both countries have engaged in aggressive behaviour towards India, and their military capabilities continue to grow. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to counter these threats effectively and ensure its security.

Developing Nuclear Program

India's nuclear program is crucial for its defence strategy. It is essential to maintain a credible nuclear deterrence to ensure national security. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to enhance its nuclear program, develop advanced technologies, and maintain a credible nuclear deterrent.

Developing Drone Technology

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, have become a vital component of modern warfare. Drones have become a critical tool for intelligence gathering, surveillance, and targeted strikes. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to develop advanced drone technology and enhance its military capabilities.

Leading Covert Operations

Covert operations play a critical role in modern warfare. India needs to develop its covert operations capabilities to deal with emerging security challenges effectively. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to develop its covert operations capabilities and ensure its security.

Gathering Intelligence

Intelligence gathering is an essential aspect of modern warfare. India needs to develop its intelligence gathering capabilities to deal with emerging security challenges effectively. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to enhance its intelligence gathering capabilities and ensure its security.

Military and Space Tech Should Go Hand in Hand

Modern warfare is increasingly becoming technology-driven, and it is essential to develop advanced military and space technologies. India needs to integrate its military and space technologies to enhance its defence capabilities. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to develop advanced military and space technologies and ensure its security.

Developing Space Force

Space has become a critical domain for military operations. India needs to develop its space force to enhance its defence capabilities. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to develop its space force and ensure its security.

Internal Security

Internal security is essential for India's stability and progress. India needs to deal with anti-India forces within the country and abroad. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to enhance its internal security capabilities and deal with emerging security challenges effectively.

In conclusion, India's defence expenditure is a critical issue that needs urgent attention. Increasing defence expenditure will enable India to safeguard its economic interests globally, provide stability to the region, deal with rising China, become a global power, counter threats from China and Pakistan, enhance its nuclear program, develop advanced drone technology, lead more covert operations, gather intelligence, integrate military and space technologies, develop its space force, and enhance its internal security capabilities. These factors make it essential for India to increase its defence expenditure and ensure its security in the current global geopolitical climate.

WHY DO I SUPPORT 'FARM LAWS'?

2021-02-08T00:14:00.001+05:30

Courtesy- The Indian Wire

Do you get a good price for any product of horticulture in India? Yes, I said 'any crop'. There are few crops which offer a reasonable price, but all others don’t. An almost negligible amount of horticulture produce is sold to the government and covered under the hailed MSP scheme. Then where do our marginal farmers sell it? The answer is- anywhere in open mandis, to any random private player (Dalal) and at any trivial price with no security in place. If this was not the case, farmers from our very own ‘protesting Punjab and Haryana’ would have never thrown their capsicum and cauliflower on roads and it was more visible when farmers in Maharashtra protested against extremely low prices of tomato and onions. If these were open for free trade, without the restriction of district and state boundaries, probably these events might not have occurred. Open markets lead to greater prices in case of good quality produce. MSP (Minimum Support Price) is the reason for the ongoing protests, but I do not understand why are small farmers brought in the issue. Are they being used as a shield by some miscreants or politically motivated people? A report by FirstPost says that MSP is ruled by 6 per cent of big farmers whereas other 86 per cent of small farmers do not even go to mandis so are not benefitted by the policy.

The Farming Bills of 2020 are indeed a great step to transform Indian agriculture from ‘subsistence farming’ to a ‘farming business’. It will unleash the potential of the market by providing opportunities for selling produce anywhere in the country. People try to get their produce exported when the government did not do much about it but now if the government is set to do something about it, ‘some farmers’ have a problem. Anyways, it’s a democracy so views are always welcome and therefore I am also sharing my opinion in support of the farm bills.

To those who say- “It is a new concept to India”:
Contract farming has been in place since long just that it was not popular, and it was not guided by any law. Tea and coffee, timber wood, most of the horticulture produce and coconut etc have never been covered under MSP and those planting it have never had any problem. It is those who were given an upper hand by the government do not want that reservation to be snatched away while there has been no mention of MSP policy being removed. To my utter surprise, more than fifty per cent of MSP coverage is utilised in the states of Haryana and Punjab, just two.
Most importantly, the farmers engaged in cultivating herbs and some medicinal plants for the giants like Patanjali, HUL, Dabur etc work under fixed pacts called contract farming. Added to them are those associated with the likes of Spencer’s and Gofers who are also guided by experts from these companies to grow plants as desired by the market. Many of these farmers belong to the areas of Haryana, Punjab, West U.P. and Delhi benefitting from the presence of industries and an urban supply chain requiring a large amount of produce of fixed quality daily. Ironically, farmers from the same area are saying that ‘this new law supports crony capitalists.’

To those who say – “Contractors will seize land”:
The Central Government, with its new Farm Laws of 2020, has done a great job to assure farmers of good price by opening the market for competition and giving it to the bidding. Yes, there is no doubt that private sectors will get an active role in agricultural marketing, but it does not imply that new rules permit them to seize anyone’s land. There are clear cut judicial provisions in the law which do not permit the contractor to develop any permanent structure in the fields and if it happens, by law, it will belong to the farmer. For safety, it is farmers responsibility to keep a track of all the processes and agreements one is entering in. In other words, The government can make a legit law for road safety, it can install traffic lights and position guards but for your safety, you have to drive safely and you have to wear a helmet.

To those who say- “Contract farming cannot offer good price”
I have personally seen farmers who attached themselves with the potato chips making factories and they are doing fantastic. There, price is assured by the company against the uncertainties faced by Indian farmers. Recently, Reliance entered a deal with a group of farmers in Karnataka for the supply of 1000 tons of paddy. Reports suggest that prices offered are better than those offered under MSP.
To explain, under contract farming you sell your products directly to the company using it. This helps you do away with all the formalities, taxes and middleman fees thus automatically gives you a benefit. According to a report by Economic Times, a group of farmers earning mere Rs30,000 per acre from rice is now earning around Rs3 lakh per acre with contract farming of medicinal plants.

A farm of future - A hydroponics farm in India
Courtesy- Forbes India

'You can not reject a change whose time has come’. Contract farming is one such change for India. The most sophisticated urban areas are now looking towards hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics etc for becoming self-dependent while also maintaining the quality of their diet. To remain consistent in the supply chain, we need to accept the changes that come in. The benefits include, working with security in the farm sector else it is clearly in sight to see big corporates directly entering agriculture, second, assurance of good money on maintaining a set of standards and third can be a better-improved version of agriculture with modern inputs including technology. Start-ups like CityGreens and NowaFarms in Bengaluru have already begun operating their in-house farms for producing organic leafy vegetable. Its demand is rising rapidly owing to its quality. So, it is almost impossible for a ‘traditional kisaan’ to compete with an ‘urban farming corporate’.

I do consider the opinion that many Indian farmers are poor, landless and have meagre income. Using inputs from contractors, with timely checks of quality, they can do well. A healthier option for them is to join hands with their likes and represent a bigger group which can then easily do the right farming business. There is surely scope for considering problems of small farmers and they should be considered in the bill or through any other means. Changes to the bill are quite acceptable but repealing is anyways not done.

One request to all, your opinion is always valuable but please let farmers grow. You political stands can lead them to lose their lives. Free money is not always a solution, making an environment to work and grow is all that they want.

Support Farm Bills to Support India!

Dismantling the Machinery of Procrastination (Perfectionists, don't mind!)

2021-02-01T21:28:00.007+05:30

Yup, deadline to submit the project is lurking around the corner and you are still fiddling with your emails, chats and social media. But you still believe you have just twenty-three hours a day while your best friend has twenty-four of them. Damn it! There lies the problem. Procrastination has stuck with you and there you risk missing something big in life. Don’t want to, right? Of course not! Nobody wants to, not me even, and for that you ought to follow a set of hacks to escape from such blunders.

1. Hook your timetable in front of your eyes-

One of the best ways to avoid procrastination is to prepare a detailed timetable of all deadlines and hang it in front of your table. The morning should be well oriented, and targets should be charted to head-on. Tech savvies should utilise smartphones & gizmos which can drastically help them keep track of their work.

2. Don’t over-react but avoid trivialising too-

Guesstimating targets poses a threat to work. You need to break it down into steps to bolster your understanding of the microdetails of various aspects involved. It reduces chances of you falling in the gaps that you might otherwise end up creating for yourself. One might not consider oneself among those suffering from this problem but it is one of the most common so you must give a check to it. People who overdraft get in a frenzy of finishing it off as fast as possible which generally deteriorates the quality and in other cases, excessive emphasis on small things, in a way to bring perfection, might lead you crossing the deadline before completion (Perfectionists, don't mind! You can continue to be yourself but many might not bear such great loads.) You must ponder over it to make a proper strategy to meet the deadlines easily otherwise too-much and too-less, both can hurt you.

3. Stay calm and fresh-

A good walk in nature or exercise is always beneficial and if you are able to devote some time to meditation, it will be boon to your healthy mind. All this relaxes your otherwise uptight mind and body from tiresome work further boosting your tenacity to sustain work efficiently. Meditation is an open secret. Talking to people whom you love is also effective and I personally value it.

Is that all? No. You can make your own strategies. You may reward yourself when you achieve the targets in the deadline or you may inform your family and friends about your targets so that it gets into your head to do it in time, among others. In times of excessive workload, be it exams or any submissions to be made, I utilise many of these strategies to stay in a fresh state of mind. Wasting a minute can drive you far from your dream job which for sure I don't want to. Procrastination is a human tendency, but we ought not to put our work on hold. Don’t miss it over, start-off as you get a hold of it.

Looking forward to hearing your strategies to avoid procrastination. Do put them in the comment section below.

Vision of a Free India: Life of My Great-Grandfather and his 'Radiola'

2021-01-26T00:40:00.005+05:30

A large wooden box of around a kilo and a half, with several big glass cylinders inside, and a six-volt battery to power is more valued than a treasure box. A black plate on its front-face has the name of the company ‘Labele’ imprinted on it in golden font, along with details of frequencies and the names of radio stations in undivided India. This is ‘radio-la’ (Singh). That is what the radio my great grandfather got in his wedding was lovingly called in our village. This radio is the subject of my enquiry. Seeing the names of cities in pre-Partition India – Bombay, Calcutta, Karachi, Peshawar – embossed on its body, I feel a sense of nostalgia, even a spurt of nationalistic fervour. I turn to my grandmother, Ms Krishna Kumari Singh, and Mrs Nirmala Singh, my grand aunt, both witnesses to the successful political career of Thakur Parwan Singh, her father-in-law and the owner of radiola, to get an insight into his life.

As a young man in his mid-twenties, Thakur Parwan Singh, hailing from the village of Mahagwan, at sixty kilometres from Lucknow, was interested in politics, society and the burgeoning wave of the freedom struggle. Moving out from the life of privileges that ‘zamindari’ that were conferred upon him at birth, he moved onto the path of the freedom struggle, fighting the Raj for Swaraj, joining the Indian National Congress in the area and gradually moving up the ladder. I feel that his choices were deliberate, not merely a matter of chance but more of the social responsibility he owed the twenty-six villages under his leadership. The politics in that time was idealistic; leadership in those decades were not a matter of the silver spoon. Rather, one had to scoop out one’s own share by serving the people, through an unwavering commitment to swaraj and humanity. That was the only way to stay afloat in the political field and in the hearts of people.

He got married in 1939 and was lucky to be gifted with a radio, barely a few years after broadcasting began from Lucknow. Little did he know that day that what he was receiving as a gift would become the means of throwing him into bigger politics. His firmness as a party man of the congress was highlighted when he was involved in the ‘Lumamau Golikand’ in 1962 (Singh). It was a gunfight between two groups, one of the Congress party and the other of Janata Party in a meeting of ongoing elections (Indiankanoon). Radio has been crucial in the story of India’s freedom movement, as it was the most powerful means of mass communication, just after the print media.

My grandmother, a seventy-four-year-old lady, with a shrivelled skinny body and a bent posture, is the best link to Thakur Singh’s generation. She was visibly filled with pride when she told me the story of that ‘speaking box’. She herself had joined the family in 1963 but remembers the old stories that had been narrated to her by her in-laws, the workers, and even my grandfather. Mr Singh was a man of courage, which he displayed by turning up in huge numbers at the rallies in Hardoi and Lucknow when even suitable means of transport were not available. At home too, there was always a congregation of people at the platform in front of the house, just like in a fair. “Pura jamghat lagta thha, hamesha ek mela chalta thha chabutare par”, says my grandma while detailing the hours spent by her mother-in-law in the kitchen (‘chauka’), preparing lemonade and tea for all those who had come (Singh). People would get into bullock carts and even reach the meeting places on foot, as bicycles were also rare. I can imagine Thakur Parwan Singh, flanked by his men, his hand on his moustaches, looking like a hero.

The dissemination of nationalist sentiments was not the only thing associated with this radio. In fact, some of the social aspects can also be understood as we excavate deeper. It was mostly used by the men of the family, whether for entertainment or listening to the speeches, while the women had rarely a chance to get a feel of it. It was mostly when men were out and busy in some other tasks that they got their hands on it. There were programs on cuisine and ‘pooja’ celebrations, which were enjoyed by the female folk of the house accompanied by women from the neighbourhoods. Memories associated with programs of ‘BBC’ broadcasting and the other called ‘Ceylon’, the former for ‘accurate news’ and the latter for playing melodious Hindi songs (Singh). In the 1940s, 50s and 60s the attention of Indian viewers was on Hindi film music and popularised singers like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi (ABCI). The launch of ‘Vividh Bharti’ in 1957 put women at the center stage of its usage (Prasar Bharti). As the number of programs increased, gradually embracing morning ‘artis’ and ‘Ramayana’, women grew more interested in it.

The journey of this gift did not stop with the gift of freedom. I firmly believe that this radio made a great contribution to my great-grandfather’s political career, helping him get the kind of attention that others couldn’t, turning his house into a sort of meeting point for everyone in the village – as well as from the neighbouring villages. Even after independence, he was successful in maintaining his political clout throughout his lifetime and served as the ‘Block Pramukh’ for two periods. His immense willingness to serve people had made him a social man who cared for the public even when he was seen with all his grandchildren around him. My father is a witness to his social life and accepts to have taken many skills from him in dealing with people. Though he let go off his active political role due to change in course of politics, he conducted meetings with leaders and local strongmen to fulfil some of his wishes of local development. He lost the battle against salivary gland cancer on October 2nd, 1970 after fighting it for eight months. Though lost from the world, yet alive in the hearts of people who recognize him for the works of development that he did for the society.

Radiola went on functioning till 1975 when a big fire broke out in the area and it got tragically burnt. Luckily, it was not destroyed. But the wires and some important electrical parts, such as the diodes, were burnt and left useless. However, since it was always considered a member of the family, it has retained its place in the old house where the family still lives. The wooden frame is polished now and again, to make it shine bright, and it helps us remember the historic moments of our family’s participation in the freedom movement. It stands for the important contribution of my great-grandfather as a leader, the support of the woman who had brought the gift into his life, and the contributions of those hundreds and thousands around, simple people who withstood tremendous pressures to stand for the cause of national freedom. When I see that radio, I realise how it linked their daily lives to something very momentous – freedom.

I hope you must have traced your link to this national cause too.

Feel the pride & Enjoy the Day.

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY

What’s Up? ‘Signal’ is clear!

2021-01-12T01:40:00.004+05:30

"Send me your work by tonight.”, said my teacher. The opening thought that struck my mind was, I have to WhatsApp him. WhatsApp has become a common word with ‘Signal’ indicating to dethrone it soon. With Elon Musk and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey endorsing Signal and recommending people to use it instead of Facebook escorted by a noticeable surge of over 30 per cent users since then, the rise of Signal is certain. As lots of reality on the new updates is buzzing along with a tone of rumours there is a wave against the latest version of the popular and most used instant messaging app, WhatsApp. I myself am hooked on this platform for most of my chats, be it personal or other stuff, I have a reason to worry and beware myself.

The company website does accept that it stores our data in its data centres located across the continents and shares the data of its users internally and externally, within the Facebook group of companies and with their partners and service providers. The rapidly growing ‘Signal’ Messaging is presenting a much secure platform as it does not have back up facility in their system and only you can interact or download your data. This keeps you safe for any unwarranted intrusion into your confidentiality.

By tracking your transactions, Facebook ads can behave differently with you by showing only costly items if transactions are larger and will show cheaper items transactions are lower. This will create a completely different pattern of business where Facebook Group dominates your picks and it decides which client is to be sent to which vendor. A Netflix movie, ‘The Social Dilemma (2021)’, has already done a great job to aware people of these fancy technologies which deceive you to feel comfortable while you are being stolen for your choices and information. Altogether working of your life will be in hands of AI which may propel you for ‘seriously anything’ with its chain of actions.

WhatsApp is not simply a child’s play, it is used by businesses, government officials, banks and I guess, various defence personal and ministers too. In earlier years too, due to online and third-party backup by WhatsApp, group chats and phone number of people in those groups have popped in Google search results.

It is all about business and no companies are different. It is a typical Indian mindset which puts at risk the data and privacy of millions of people due to their own negligence. The recently rolled out version of the messaging up WhatsApp and its much-touted integration with all other Facebook Group companies will be key to providing it with in-depth information of people, their behaviour, their shopping trends, foods they prefer, connections they make and even much more. Even it has the potential to put your personal photos in your chats in the search results, in case of popular personalities who are browsed for on the internet.

Photo credit - Pinterest

Bringing surveillance and company profits at core clearly indicates Facebook Group’s intentions to grow stronger over the years despite its claims of prioritising privacy and user interests over everything else. Complete storage of data offers the privilege to dominate market unrivalled like WeChat does in China. It knows everything about its users even when it has more than a billion monthly active users. It is used by the state in such a way that none of your habits can go unnoticed by the authorities if you do not follow their guidelines.

I have made up my mind to switch to Signal till it remains as it seems to be safer than others. Keeping your privacy as a priority, I hope you all to join me soon. Let service providers be them, let yourself be the real you. If they have the potential to dominate our minds, we cannot remain ourselves.

Stay Safe! Do leak your likes and comments below.

Looking back from 2030: Future writes to Present

2021-01-07T22:25:00.006+05:30

Photo credit - www.shutterstock.com

Dear Self@2020,

What’s up? I hope you are keeping up well. It is indeed great to tell you that I have completed my post-graduation and am presently working in a firm dealing in Automated Vehicles. Yes, you read it right, automated vehicles. Nobody controls them and they think and operate on their own. Here I am going to share my experiences of 2030. That’s really fantastic, just wait and work.

When I look back, I find you there, standing with a smartphone all the time to do very general activities. Today, I don’t find any smartphones here rather all have a piece of smart glass and that is a master device for everything. I use details stored on Cloud and do everything from that glass as there exist almost three trillion such devices connected in a network called the Internet of Things. A small chip is installed in my body which acts as a transmitter and all my devices are connected to it, including my home. What I think of is done. Just when I think my car should be there on the door, it comes automatically. I am now able to utilize all that time to do virtual meetings, relax and even work on projects.

The boom of private vehicles is over and which is totally overtaken by large taxi aggregators which include land, air and water taxies. Congestion is far reduced. Adding to this is the benefit of elevated public buses which operate on roads but on special elevated chassis that allows the flow of vehicles below it thus allowing a smooth flow of vehicles. Space agencies have already built colonies on Mars and have been successful in growing plants there. Now they are using that station as a base for further exploration. Other than international travel planes are not in much use these days as it is taken over by hyperloop technology which is automated in operations and is much faster and eco-friendly too. There are automated air taxis running to and from everywhere. Moreover, roads cross through skyscrapers and are in multiple levels.

You will be stunned to hear that our beloved Uncle who worked at Google has now made two good friends but surprisingly, they are robots, not humans. And yes, he is not an exception most of the working class has a similar situation as they are working with robots, not robots working with them. The medical sector is also benefitted, by 3D printing, the heart and brain can also be made now. Saving lives is easier for doctors as they can practically examine the challenges by holography and virtual reality and use of high-speed internet.

You must be thinking of a food crisis, right. Let me bring out something extremely wonderful that has come up -Vertical Farming. Yes, I know that you have done a project on it but here it is not just a model. Over 40 per cent of the 8 billion people are eating food grown from it. Could you imagine it? Tall skyscrapers are actually sustainable as residents are supplied food materials grown there itself. A large group of scientists across the globe are working on projects that can pave way for truly sustainable societies which will be environment friendly in operations.

Today, poverty is largely a bygone concept as there is the provision of a Universal Basic Income that gives a minimum amount to all the people globally and puts them above poverty line consequently eliminates social evils like illiteracy, gender bias and malnutrition to a large extent. The world is much better to live in and it rides above the rumours of a global disturbance in this period.

Dear self, you have a magnificent contribution to make to the more beautiful world your heart knows is possible. Try and develop a responsible nature in yourself and others who are related to you. Do not believe in a cynical voice, masquerading as the realistic one, saying that nothing much can change. That voice will call your dreams by many names- naive, unrealistic and immature. Trust your knowledge, trust me that the world can be different, can be better.

Yours

Self@2030

Yes, She Deserved It But…

2020-08-27T16:09:00.002+05:30

The historic judgement of the Supreme Court of India declaring women as coparceners of their father’s property is welcome. I hope for a smile of satisfaction on your face.

Yes, you might have read about the decision and would have appreciated it as well. I too did and one must do if wants to see a progressive society. It comes as an addition to the earlier decision of 2005 but it takes into its effect a large chunk of people who were otherwise left out. The law is not changing much of the system but will surely change the minds and thus it is crucial. It will pave the way in turning the direction of Indian society into a more open, equal and developed one. In this article, I am not going to tell you what that order provides or not rather I will present before you some observations that might cause a trouble with this system and can throw that satisfaction into doubts.

India is in a pathetic condition when it comes to female foeticides, murders of female infants and even various other oppressions. These are some of the crimes that are committed by the parents, siblings or close relatives themselves. In case of this amendment which puts no bars on making women equal coparceners, I expect an increase in the number of such cases which will further deteriorate the condition of our society.

In our country, we are already facing extreme situations of dowry-related crimes. With the onset of this right women can not only claim their rights by themselves rather they can be subjected to extreme brutalities by their in-laws for their paternal properties. If girls claim properties from their brothers, they are also expected to force their wives to get their share from their siblings and thus creating a cycle which has the potential to cause havoc in the system.

The above problem does not end there. That situation will lead both the sides to possess small plots of lands at different places, one of their own and others received from in-laws. This will dampen all the efforts that have been made in the direction of consolidation of landholdings thus negatively impacting production levels and efficiency.

In any case, if people develop some understanding to transfer lands to get them closer to each other, it needs to be done in the legal ways enforcing all the various processes and money submissions required for the documentation work. I am not talking of the illegal ones, it is legal. This will also increase the number of court cases and trouble the already plagued Indian Judicial System.

There is also a possibility that if brothers know that their sisters will also claim their share in the parental property, they might not be very interested in fulfilling their courteous responsibilities that they have otherwise been doing so far. It may be like either they should take their own property and be responsible for their own safety, like brothers themselves (sharing their opinion), problems, and other life issues or they shall transfer all their share to the brother. It will lead to deterioration of the social structure (I am strictly against any evil taking place in the society, but it is of course not an ideal society and all of us are very clear with all the problem that strikes us at every moment).

My article is not just a representation of my own ideas but a collection of views of the ‘common person of India’ who is still trapped in the limits of narrow social walls. I talked to around fifty individuals from the lower and middle-income group in my area and came to this conclusion. Yes, I counted on a small group of people, but I see that to be the general outlook of society.

To my dear reader, I would like to say that India is still not completely out of poverty nor it is a developed nation. I am happy with the leaps of developments that it has made in recent years but of course, we cannot escape from all the evils that our society faces. My motive behind this article is not to curse this golden judgement rather it is meant to beware the society of its possible negatives. India is still made by its middle and lower-income groups, mostly farmers so the effects on them are to be counted as effects on the country.

I hope for extra efforts on part of the governments, authorities and social empowerment groups to bolster the pitch of women in equipping them with much-required rights while maintaining the social order (meaning a good sex-ratio, respect for women and not that order which limits their approach) and containing the possible ruckus. Good motives turn out fruitful only if their execution is appropriate and planned.

Thanks for reading so far. Please make your contribution by sharing your views about the judgement and the article in the comment section below.

Differentiating Grey from Grey

2020-08-21T00:42:00.038+05:30

Though it is everywhere, is it good anywhere?

“There seems to be no grey matter in your brain." This statement is so common that I presume you to have heard of it some time or the other. Yes from that irksome teacher of your class who had a habit of pointing out at kids with many ‘grey’ areas. Now, what on earth does this ‘grey’ mean? Former ‘grey’ refers to a fluid-like substance that is most important for your neural functions and transfer of information in our brains. Some cells in it also determine nutrient supply and so it has vital importance. Contrary to it, the latter one refers to the weaknesses. Yes, our dubious society differentiates grey from grey and contradicts itself.

Counting from 26^th Jan 1950, the day when the Indian Supreme Court came into existence, SC has passed many orders. Were they to be followed? Yes. Did authorities promise to follow? Yes. Did they follow? No. In 2013, the SC passed an order through an act, Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, ordering the states and authorities to put a complete end to this inhumane practice. Accordingly, it should have been the end. It wasn’t. In 2014, the SC ruled in 'Safai Karmachari Andolan vs Union of India' that “entering sewer lines without safety gears should be made a crime even in emergency situation” and ordered for compensation in case of death.

My examination of the two puts 2014 ruling in contradiction with one of 2013 because it, however, permits entering sewer lines, may not be without safety kits. If manual scavenging was to be abolished entirely then even entering sewers in an emergency should be considered a crime. That is an apparent violation of the judgement by those who passed it. During 2016 to 2018, 282 sanitation workers have reportedly died while cleaning septic tanks and sewers in the country between 2016 and November 2019, as revealed by The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

It is not a mistake of authorities rather it has run into the very nature of humanity. Not just them even I find myself violating my words sometimes. Speaking on ‘no caste, no colour, no discrimination’ seems easy but following that is difficult. Changing others is fine but we need to change ourselves. Our actions should match our words. Fair & Lovely Foundation, a very ‘socially’ powerful group has been playing a big role in helping underprivileged women from the Indian subcontinent. It boasts of working for equality and thus offers financial, technical and intellectual support to women.

Does it match its actions in the world of business? No. Its name itself junks the idea of equality understanding which the company has apologised and has promised for renaming itself to 'Glow & Lovely'. That is indeed an appreciable action but it has been too long and has fashioned a condemnable trend in society. People with dark complexion, which is general for the Indian subcontinent, have started turning to salons, using various beauty products just for looking fair in the party. Even people from various parts of the country have some racial issues. Dark coloured people sometimes find it difficult to manage in groups, they are tagged by peers. Certainly, it starts for fun but in nowhile turns into a crime.

We are living in a hypocrite society and we have been deceived and this declaration of human rights by the United Nations is a part of the same hypocrisy. No, I am not blaming the principles of UN neither its orders, my target is those who run it. UN has been shattered by revelations of rapes, even child rapes, by its peacekeeping forces. According to a figure quoted by Aljazeera, between 2004 and 2016 the UN received around 2000 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against its peacekeepers. Isn’t that alarming? Moreover, there is a stark difference in the way the reported cases are dealt with by the UN. If a UN official rapes an American or European child, there will be an outcry and prosecution will take place immediately along with lumpsum being delivered by the treasury whereas if an African child falls victim, the organisation fail to prosecute perpetrators or it is delayed. This is discrimination of people by the global advocates of equality, justice, rights and so on. One can go on adding to this decorated list of words and never finish.

You can not trust your neighbour, neither authorities nor government too, not even the UN. Whom to trust? A big question. The only way to solve this is moral upliftment of every one of us. We all, as humans, must get out of the mindset ‘I can play with the rule I make'. If feminists think that they can continue to take special privileges for women, they shouldn’t. It is against equality. If we don’t want corrupt politicians, we should never bribe anyone. We must develop unity in our thoughts, words and actions. Lack of effective ruling causes as much harm to society as any terror attack, just that it kills people gradually. Deaths of people in manholes and victims of rapes are its examples. We want people to clean sewers, we ourselves are unable to clean even our inner-selves. The world can still be a better place to dwell in. It needs a cry, a call, a command. Shall you take the lead?

Hope you had a stimulating experience reading this article. Share your views. Would love to see your comments in the space below!

The Expose: The USA entering the ‘Third World Nations’?

2020-08-11T14:16:00.009+05:30

Boasting the world’s largest economy, aggregations of the multinationals and an array of top-notch global knowledge centres, the United States of America seems to be drifting away from the goal of ‘The Great America’ at a time when President Donald Trump wants to bolster this pitch. Yes, the term 'The Third World Nation' sounds a bit too alien while we refer to the US, but the downfall of the world’s largest economy seems inevitable. Indeed, its journey till now has been an example for the rest of the world, but the idea of ‘developed country’ for the US appears faded. It will be apt to term it an ‘economically and militarily powerful nation’ than to make it the leader of the developed world.

Over the last few months of this Covid-19 pandemic, anomalies of the healthcare system of the so-called most advanced country has been exposed. Its policies and readiness to tackle the pandemic could not even match some of the middle- or lower-income countries with limited budgets. The US says it is leading the world in the fight against the deadly virus but that seems to be only the political leadership. Mass graves in the country amid shortages of medical equipment reveal the fact. According to the New York Times, even the ‘Third World Countries’ like Senegal is in a better condition. An Iowa man succumbed to death due to Covid-19 as he was first denied testing and twice denied ER admittance. At the same time, it was free in many countries like Germany and New Zealand. At a time when even Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Nepal etc were in a strict nationwide lockdown, the US feared for an economic slip-off. That is ridiculous. Lives of people were put at stake, going against humanity.

The success of USA’s multibillion-dollar MNC’s does not define the failures of its society. Bearing the burden of 18.8 per cent teenage pregnancies in 2017 which is far greater compared to India where the same data was at 12.07 per cent in 2018, the US stands in dim light with insecure future of its younger generations. Critics might argue the authenticity of the information, but the trend has shown it this way. Surely this is an indicator of the void that the evolution of society has developed but of course, isn’t a good one.

Though the GDP per capita of the USA is approx. six times that of Mexico, a technically third world country, the data on ‘Child Relative Income Poverty Rate, 2016’ by the OECD puts light on a grim reality, the US had a poverty rate greater than Mexico. Even Latvia, Slovenia and Lithuania performed better. It does not end here yet. According to the reports of US Census Bureau 2018, seven states reported poverty rate greater than 16% which is a big number for a nation that leads the world in donations to the poor countries. I was shocked to see California having poverty figures as high as 20%, as data varied sharply across the races, in a report published by the Public Policy Institute of California. It also mentions the disability of families to meet their basic needs. That highlights the growing income disparity in the country. While the upper-income group has managed to make big strides in income, the share of lower- and middle-income groups have shrunk to a new low. In 2015, the income disparity in the US was far greater than that observed in Chile, Slovak Republic, Estonia.

Despite creating the best of the facilities for its people, biggest research hubs of the world and the universities where students from across the globe flock in numbers, the US is at the verge of failing in providing good education to its own children. The US which was once known to have best graduation rates among developed world now ranks poorly at 22^NDamong the top twenty-seven countries. Moral education is also getting worse over time with seventy-five per cent of the crimes in the country being committed by the high school dropouts.

Representation of women in the top position of the political world in the US is also amid deep crisis. It not only ranks poorly at 77th position but way behind many poorer and so called ' third world nations'. Take a look at a data compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 2019.

Crimes are generally judged as an indicator of underdevelopment or poverty. Breaking all these ideologies, the crime rates in the US are at a high of sixteen years, reports The Guardian. Hate crimes are seeing multi-fold jumps with crimes against the Sikhs tripling in a year from 2017. The case appears stark and clear when focused on certain states especially, again an indicator of concentrated or regional development.

Though the twenty-two trillion-dollar economy has enjoyed its superiority over many decades rather more than a century itself, that era of glory nears fading. Yes, it is, of course, true that this drastic downfall is not going to happen overnight, but it is happening, gradually and we are all its witnesses. With the rapid development across the rest of the world, the dependence on the US has also declined which was once the only option for many. Now it appears that the US is a country where people are attracted by the glitz and glam of its skylines but only fortunate few get the leisure of that. Shall we consider the United States of America entering the league of the ‘Third World Nations’?

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Fake seems bolder than the original

2020-08-06T01:22:00.050+05:30

Imitation is the best form of flattery. This is where the world needs to learn from China. They not just replicated but have developed a whole new business model out of it. A business model, Copy-to-China, that thrives on counterfeiting products to China by creating fake copies as good as the original.

Due to recent skirmishes between India and China, a brouhaha is spilt over the Indian media regarding the military capabilities of the two rivals and even some major power operating in the region. This has revealed a fact-- Chinese J-20 stealth jet is a copy of USA’s F-35 stealth jet. I was bewildered on reading this and a question began to pop up in my head. Is it practically possible? I had read about numerous big deals of the sharing of technology. If it was possible to simply copy, why would any country do that? If they could do it for such sophisticated technology, what about simple things? And all of this compelled me to start my work.

Web browsers to apps, cell phones to big machinery, cars to jets and buildings to cities, and whatnot, they have copied everything. Yes, you ought to doubt it but just read on. Before I hover you over a list of examples, I will first pull the curtain off from this system.

‘Copy-culture’ of China is mostly unique because it happens here on such a large scale that every so often one can get confused between the real and duplicate. Copying is not illegal in China rather, to an extent, its system promotes it. It is seen as a skill with which one can pay tribute to the master of the real thing and even prove oneself as equipotent to him. This culture traces its links to the learning of calligraphy where learners had to exactly reproduce what masters did and on doing it the best was considered skilled and talented over the others who couldn’t. Over the years, it has expanded itself in the education system of China, focusing on rote learning to extreme levels put replicating into the nerves of youth there.

Do you wish to go to Paris but are worried about the high costs? Still, want to have a glimpse of the iconic Eiffel Tower? You can opt for China’s Paris! Yes, Tianducheng, also called Sky City in the suburbs of Hangzhou in China, has a 108-meter-tall replica of Eiffel Tower with 31 sq km of Parisian architectures. Hold your breath tight, I am going to take you to London’s Tower Bridge. China’s copy of this architectural marvel is across a river in Suzhou standing 131 feet tall. Adjacent structures seem to imitate London. You can even find cops in red, the dress used by the London police.

If you can’t afford a Rolls Royce, China has Geely for you, and to substitute Innova Crysta, go for The Changan Lingxuan which costs significantly lesser. Even Maruti 800 was replicated by Zyote to supply the inexpensive car in China. Nevertheless, there is no copyright law in the automobiles, yet manufacturers count on mutual understandings. China junks it. Even when Jaguar and Fiat, the two global automobile giants tried to sue the Chinese makers, they failed. But copying here is not just limited to some product, even entire stores are copied. There are several ‘near-perfect’ duplicated stores in Zuhai, Apple retail outlets not owned by Apple. Quite alarming when it takes place so openly. Yes, if you don’t pay attention, you might end up buying a Blockberry instead of Blackberry. There are some Chinese companies that have even copied some key designs of iPhones. We can go on and still never end, such big is the list. But let’s move ahead.

Copycat is a word that has somewhat become synonymous with China’s tech industry. US President Donald Trump has fired Huawei over certain similar accusations that even extended to spying for the state. The dynamic economy of China and stupendous growth along with alleviation of poverty are some of its visible benefits. Harnessing the true potential of tourism has been the main idea behind the copying of architecture. Tourists from the world over flock in large numbers to enjoy these places and appreciate the creativity. While copying helps build for the present, it also gives the best experiences and ideas to the scientists, developers and businesses to pull up their socks for taking a lead in the future. This is clearly visible with the robust internet technology, development of the education sector in China and the growth of its business with a large trade surplus.

It’s not who does it first rather who does it the best, makes the most profit in business. Thus, by copying certain things China jumps over the costs and time required in R&D rather capitalises that to rise better and faster. Steadily its own technology base has established and now it is a leader in R&D too. Riding over all the criticism, its growth is an illustration for other nations, but the culture isn’t. Academics and economists give various stats regarding the losses to various countries due to this theft of information and replication by China. It poses a threat to intellectual property and the progress of emerging economies. With its massive industrial base, China can thrust any product in the market by copying it from even smaller countries. The governments and powerful institutions the world over need to take stringent action against this ‘copying giant’. The world needs to learn and respect the original. The glory of institutions remains till they succeed in keeping this world safer and equal for all.

‘Why Indian Foreign policy should give top priority to neighbors?'

2020-08-02T23:41:00.011+05:30

A resurgent economy with expanding global interests – India stands all set to rise into ‘New India’ carving its niche. India is the world’s most youthful nation in the world and it becomes a necessity for India to improve its stature as a key player in the world affairs and to promote and secure its self-interests. India’s rise is not free of hurdles and requires deep planning to withstand various global headwinds. As the world gears up for more bilateral and trilateral version, away from its target of creating a ‘global village’, India needs a strategy that can keep it safe from these volatile situations. A good grip over the resource rich neighborhood is a long term and strategically safe solution to it. India should focus on strengthening its relations with neighbors by giving a special impetus to it in its foreign policy.

To ramp up global influence and to hold on to its position as a regional power:

The diplomatic and economic relations with our neighborhood have been steadily increasing but that is outpaced by an aggressive China’s BRI project. Countries like Myanmar, Nepal, SriLanka have been swayed away to be a part of China’s ambitious project. Expansion of BRI easy movement of Chinese troops poses a threat to India’s sovereignty, trade and security. Prioritizing relations with neighbors and financial help to these countries can help in maintaining India’s position as a regional power and in protecting our interests. India occupies a special position in the region, economically and politically. Owing to this unique position, India has a potential vocation to become the driving force for greater regional peace and prosperity. Moreover, many Indian policy makers think, India’s long term prosperity and its rise as a global power hinges to some degree on a conflict free neighborhood.

Connectivity with the rest of the world:

The recognition that India’s own policy of connectivity with the rest of the world depend to some degree on a cooperative neighborhood. India, for example, needs a supportive Bangladesh to permit a gas pipeline to run from Myanmar to supply India’s northeast or it needs Pakistan and China to soften their stand to get a supply of Iranian and Russian petroleum into Indian supply. Regional integration must take precedence over politics. It is always in India’s favor to remain relevant to its neighbors and connectivity is a major policy.

Trade and Business opportunities:

India’s neighborhood comprises of highly populated countries that provide a vast market for a variety of goods and trade. India’s renowned IT industry can find resonance with the needs of these countries and should provide concessions for setting up its roots for long term trade relations. India should also evolve itself as a major exporter of modern technologies of aviation, artificial intelligence, infra development to these countries which will generate a lot of revenue in trade.

Indian subcontinent is a region of immense natural wealth and has the potential to harness it in a refined way. Poor regional coordination and superposing of political differences over economic

prospects has always hinged it to poverty and terrorism. India’s an economic and diplomatic power has a vital role to play by facilitating neighbors as a caretaker and by addressing their needs.

For example, political heat has inhibited the trade between India and Pakistan in just a few millions of dollars where the possibilities lie in multi-billion dollar trade.

India’s role as a defense hub:

India has the potential to fulfill the defense needs of its neighbors by exporting weapons, modernizing their armed forces and by sharing crucial intelligence inputs which will further help in establishing India’s position as a Big Brother and a prominent global power. Moreover deeper strategic and defense ties with the neighbors will also help India to enjoy more easy movement in the region.

Center of Tourism in the region:

India has traditionally been a tourism hotspot. However due to rapid technological advancements in various countries India could not remain competitive. By prioritizing its highly populated ‘neighborhood’ and ‘extended neighborhood’ India can regain its position. Policies like visa-on-arrival and visa-free access for these countries can improve bilateral ties and tourism. India can also emerge as a destination for educational and medical tourism in the region as it is much cheaper and better that it’s many competitors.

Sustained regional development:

Indian policy and industry should understand that India has to economically engage with and support its neighboring businesses as an essential prerequisite for sustained regional development. It should focus on making neighbors understand that economic development is possible only if region itself is integrated and enjoys wide ranging cooperation.

India’s small neighbors have always resented India’s ‘big brother’ attitude and could easily turn hostile if offered a better option by a rival power. An impression had taken hold in Nepal that Indian projects are marred by inordinate delays. Though there had been a one-way free trade agreement between Nepal and India, there has been little progress in investing in Nepal. Nepal remains economically isolated from India though it is dependent on the country for most of its needs. Indian foreign policy makers have not gone beyond the traditional conception of aid- of building roads and hospitals. To counter the negative sentiments in its neighborhood, India should focus on deliverables. India should derive benefits of the deep cultural and people-to-people relations that India shares with its neighbors and focus on growing these natural synergies through its redefined foreign policy.

Political differences emanating from perceptions and realities of the past and ongoing rivalry with China and Pakistan have combined to play out in the region, gradually diminishing India’s influence. Political differences have become a barrier to regional economic cooperation and development, undermining projects such as mutually beneficial India-Bangladesh-Myanmar gas pipeline, and efforts to fully utilize advantages of regional economic pacts like SAFTA and SAARC.

While India’s quest for energy has made deep inroads into central Asia and Africa, its attempts to draw its immediate neighborhood into a strategic energy and trade framework have been far less successful. With even a moderate improvement in its ability to deliver projects on time India, given its geopolitical significance, can gain a leg up on every other force in the region and has the capacity to be the epicenter of regional growth and integration.

In conclusion Indian government should focus on bilateral, trilateral and regional agreements with its neighborhood as a new pillar of its economic diplomacy. Neighborhood should be the priority of India’s foreign policy.

'Protecting our own enclosure'- WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

2020-08-02T23:28:00.010+05:30

The environment is ‘an enclosure that gives our lives an opening.’ Human beings depend heavily on environment as it supports vital areas of life. From fulfilling our daily needs to acting as a pillar for the success of economies, life and environment are interlinked. However, in the present scenario, human ‘wants’, not ‘needs’, weigh far heavily on the quality and sustainability of the environment. Situations are getting worse over the years, especially over the last few decades. From the poor quality of air, depleting forest cover, loss of groundwater to millions of tons of plastics in the world’s oceans, its reasons are wide-ranging. Mere campaigns plans or even celebrating a day won’t lead us anywhere until we have a clear objective for ourselves to be achieved over a few coming years. Thus, let us pledge to ourselves to work on a ‘Vision 2030’ that empowers us in both ways, environmentally and economically. I would like to put forward a few key strategies that might be a help to us.

1. Use of Vertical Farming:

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the world population will grow from more than 7.5 billion today to over 8.3 billion people in 2030. This means that we will need much more food than what we use presently. Yes, the growth rate of demand of agricultural products will be lower but the problem lies in producing more from an even lesser amount of land as more land will be used for residential and industrial purposes. Vertical farming stands out as a solution for this problem. Producing crops in vertically stacked layers or on the elevated platforms is called vertical farming. It is very effective in use of land and productivity patterns. Concept came up strongly in 2009 but now there are private ventures working on it to bring down the costs involved and make it more lucrative for even small farmers. Vertical farms have grown in leaps and bounds. Productivity lies is generally 30-100 times the produce of normal agriculture. So it answers the question, “How will we feed the rising numbers?”.

2. Development of eco-friendly transportation:

The environmental impact of transport is significant because transport is a major user of energy, and burns most of the world's petroleum. This creates air pollution, including nitrogenous oxides and particulates, and is a significant contributor to global warming through emission of carbon dioxide. To put forward an example, planes remain among the most polluting means of transport, together with cars. On a journey of, for example, 500 hundred kilometres, a plane pollutes 10 to 50 times more than a high-speed electric train and 5 to 10 times more than a bus. In all, transportation contributes to approx. 25 percent of total greenhouse gases. So, if we are able to use solar energy in transportation, that might reduce pollution levels drastically. Presently, it is gaining popularity in developed nations as cost of vehicles is still much higher compared to diesel variants. Use of electric trains has already brought about a drastic change. It needs funds for research and customers need financial support from governments to opt for it in spite of its benefits. According to a report published on the website ‘liveMINT’ (by the Wall Street Journal), there are new start ups that offer solar electricity at a cost cheaper than conventional sources. Acme sells the electricity to distributors for 2.44 rupees (3.4 cents) a kilowatt-hour, a record low for solar power in India, a country that data trackers say has the world’s cheapest solar energy. That’s an amazing development and surely deserves an applaud.

3. Engaging everyone in the sphere of businesses world on climate:

The impacts of changes in environment are looming large and have far-reaching effects. They need measures stronger than ever to overcome them. This implies need for a proper system and workforce acting in this direction. That further requires large sums of capital that make it a business of businessmen as they can play more actively than a commoner. A dangerously changing climate is the biggest threat humanity has ever faced. But it’s not all set in stone … yet. Companies have an economic incentive and moral responsibility to work hard to reduce the damage as much as possible. Engage employees (stamp out climate denial), talk to consumers and customers about climate issues through your products, and change internal rules on corporate finance to make investment decisions with flexible hurdle rates that favor pro-climate spending. Most importantly, lobbying power and influence of these groups can be of extensive use.

These are of course not all, but some, solutions to the problem that has the capacity to engulf all the developments made by us in one go. All have the responsibility to take care of Mother Nature. So, governments and organisations across the globe should take lead in funding researches in these areas and empower our scientists who have infinite potential to give optimum results. Proper steps taken in the initial stages can save us. I hope a better world in coming years.

Outcry for reforms in Indian Education system

2020-07-07T15:35:00.003+05:30

As and when I discuss about the education sector in the country I am heaped over by examples of CEOs and managers of top-notch global companies who are of Indian origin or even actually Indian. Yes, that is, of course, a matter of pride to see marvels of Indian diaspora but that never satisfies me because when I look at their profile I find that most of them have completed their higher education at some foreign institutes or have been working for some MNC for a long time. And hence I do not agree to consider it a success of the Indian education system which is not able to control the brain drain due to its ailing state. There are some points which I want to highlight through my article.

Incresing public spending on education

Yes I know that's pretty simple and everybody can think of it but here I am gonna put it a bit differently. Focusing more to build a robust education system at par with global standards is a must. Government is trying hard to push in manufacturing reforms and compete with China. That is good, but China had a well guided educational framework since the beginning of its economic modernization plan in 1978. It created robust infrastructure in skilled workers to cater the demands of industries that came and set up there. As a result of which it's present education budget stands at a staggering USD 600 billion compared to a minimal of USD 16 billion dollars of India. It also boasts to be the most preferred destination for international students second only to the US.

Skilling up our youth

Better late than never. Government of India realised its importance when it launched its flagship Skilling India program. Present scenario of skill development among youth is in a pathetic state. Country's own agency of industries, CII, reported some 10 years back that out of 100 students coming out of our institutions barely 15 are employable and out of remaining 85 left only thirty are trainable. Rest are not even trainable. That's the quality of education that we are imparting in our students. Are we dreaming that some aliens are going to work in the industries that we are going to set up. It's not. We think that we have a good number of students graduating from other colleges but have you ever focused on the skills that the companies are looking for. Probably not. They have been quite a few successful startups by youngsters like PayTM, Byju's, Ola etc. This is a result of thinking, strategizing and utilising the resources. There can be many such replicants but only when we teach our students to think rather than focusing on rote learning.

Easing Foreign Direct Investments and making it profitable:

With a multiplicity of bottlenecks around land acquisition, labour, capital and so on bogging down this sector, its potential remains under-utilised. The matter of the fact is that the development of human capital requires monetary capital. Going by the records, public spending on education in India has remained stagnant at around 3%. Yes it is indeed difficult for the country battling with poverty to put in so much in education but then we can ease Foreign Direct Investment route for increasing the spending on education. Yes, easing because 100% FDI in education under automatic route is already allowed! To my utter surprise, it could gain only USD 2.47 billion from April 2000 to March 2019 in a market estimated at around 100 billion dollars. Foreign investors are not interested in spite of this massive scale of India's education sector. There are various norms by the government that hinder the growth of education sector as an industry. Why are we not allowing rather inviting top foreign universities to open branch campuses in India? It will compel foreign students to study in India and will improve the research and development happening in the country. Out of total 45000 patents received in 2016-17 only 400 were from 23 IITs. It was surely shocking to read this! Our country saw spending of less than 1% of GDP on research. Allowing Indian firms to raise research capital from foreign entities is required. In this regard, allowing firms to use CSR amount on R&D is a welcome move.

This approach above can be very effective if executed well but this is not the end and not enough too. Bridging gender gap, education for all and greater enrollment for higher education are still distant dreams for the country. While National Education Policy 2019 is a great step in modernizing Indian education it will not yield the desired results until structural reforms are carried out simultaneously. India educated CEOs leading some of the largest innovation let companies including Google, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe is a huge testimonial to our human capital. We will be more proud if idea of the company will also be Indian. This is our forte and a concerted focus can help India become the global factory of talent.