Indians very confused — Lord Desai

While Korea and China give one reason for their failure it is several reasons here and different opinions here which only lead to a confusion and not enable any person to come out with a concrete solution for sorting out the problems faced by common people of the country opined Desai. “India faces a very contrasting problem with the new form of economy and globalisation,” said Desai.

On the one hand, they have to take care of their structural problems and on the other hand they have to take care of their procedure of centralisation and decentralisation within the centre and the state. “The factor which worries me, however, is the procedure of the slowly wiping out of the neutral and the most effective force,” said Desai. Defining the neutral force, he added that it was this force, like the presence of bureaucracy and courts, which could address the problems of common man without the interference of any party or politics. Coming down heavily on India’s failure to handle the cyclone at Orissa, Desai said, “How could a democratic polity be so oblivious of such a calamity and when aware how could they still let it go the way it has been handled.”

The lecture was presided by noted economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Dr Ahluwalia will also remain present at a session on Tuesday on discussing, `Reforms in a global economy,’ at the Department of Economics of the M.S. University.