Thursday, March 15, 2007

India's infrastructure woes

Business Week has an excellent story on India's infrastructure. Much of the country's ills can be traced to lack of infrastructure; even Bangalore's dog menance. We have progressed in so many fronts. The purchasing power of individuals has increased, but look the place all of us live.

It's worth reading this article. Extracts:

... This economic boom is being built on the shakiest of foundations. Highways, modern bridges, world-class airports, reliable power, and clean water are in desperately short supply. And what's already there is literally crumbling under the weight of progress....

... The infrastructure deficit is so critical that it could prevent India from achieving the prosperity that finally seems to be within its grasp...

... India today is about where China was a decade ago...

... (Prime Minister Manmohan) Singh, in fact, is promising a Marshall Plan-scale effort...

... Envisioning a brand-new India is the easy part; paying for it is another matter... Country's public debt stands at 82% of GDP, the 11th-worst ranking in the world... Much of the money for these new projects will have to come from private sources....

... Politicians who refuse to play the game pay a steep price. N. Chandrababu Naidu, the former chief minister of the state of Andhra Pradesh... (was) tossed ... out of office two years ago. During his decade in power, Naidu didn't do enough for rural areas...

... And so it goes in India. Unless the nation shakes off its legacy of bureaucracy, politics, and corruption, its ability to build adequate infrastructure will remain in doubt. So will its economic destiny.

1 comment:

  1. Nice to hear that you are also a Sainiki....I am from Sainik School Imphal...right now m doing engineering at NIT Bhopal.

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