Why Is The Indian Economy Still Promising?

“What !”   “Did I read the heading wrong?”
Actually no, you didn't. A lot has been said in the past few years about India and its economy. In fact, ours was the most talked about economy in the past decade. We were raring to go, speeding away in terms of growth rate, giving complex to even the biggest economies of the world; we were the most promising nation in the world teasing our 'Dragon' neighbors. But lately, India has slowed down. As a matter of fact we are snailing now.
So has India lost its sheen? Is the growth saga complete, done, finished and a thing of the past now! No, not at all. India is still one of the most promising economies of the world.
To understand better , we must delve deeper into India's status right now, it's demographics, market potential and future prospects.
Prima facie it might look like India and China, the two most talked about countries of the world and  rightly touted as the world leaders in the next generation, are among the fastest growing economies of the world. Unfortunately, that's not true. Neither India nor China figure in the list of world's top ten fastest growing economies. In fact, India ranks around 35th (2012)  in terms of economic growth rate globally with a country like Mongolia topping the list. So why is it that investors worldwide still show their confidence in India? It is important to note here that it's the base effect that's important. India is a huge economy of close to 2 tn $ annual GDP. That being said, it is really humongous addition to the economy if a nation grows at 8-9 % annually on a base value of 1.5 to 2 tn $. Nigeria is a minuscule economy so while they outpace India and China in terms of growth rate (in % terms), the absolute addition to the economy is still very small. This is the prime reason why India was considered a forerunner in the race of nations-to-be. But have we lost that edge now? No, ours is a relatively huge economy and hence a growth rate of 5% might not be good enough but it's not too bad either. India is still running the race and is going fairly good if not great.
Second is the India's self-sufficiency. We have a huge population (Thanks to male nymphomaniacs like Lalu ji) which makes India a huge market in itself. Unlike China, we are not an export driven economy relying heavily on export bills to boost the economic growth. We have a huge market within our country that makes it possible for Indian production to be consumed within India itself. This was one prime reason that India remained largely unimpacted by the 2008 recession. China, on the contrary, is highly dependent on its exports especially with US. Major chunk of Chinese exports are 'dumped' into US. This Chinese love affair with US goes to such an extent that if one fine day US economy nears death, China will have no choice but to succumb to death along with like a true loyal lover. Some might also argue here that exports form an important aspect of any country's economy because it helps boost your forex and balances your import bills thus slashing CAD. Yes, it is important but as they say there is no full-proof theory when it comes to macro-economy. There always has to be a fair balance between various parameters. No one theory can completely define a country's economics. India should definitely aim to increase its exports, but at the same time it should be checked that these exports do not come at the cost of the domestic market Also, the economy should not get over-reliant on exports only.
Third is the huge unexplored potential of the Indian markets lying at the 'Bottom of the Pyramid' (BOP). This is one sector that has almost been left out of the development process. When this market starts to pick up India's market size would almost double. Again, this would make India more self-sufficient which is desirable. This is one reason why foreign behemoths still look forward to invest money in India and will continue to do so in the coming few years. India has immense potential to grow in future which makes it a great business destination (lest we talk about the rigamaroles of Indian red tapism!).
Fourth and probably the most important is our huge labor force which apparently includes me and you. We are about 120 bn people with close to half of them being at the peak of their careers. The next 20 years are the golden age for India because we will have the biggest working force in the world. We Indians, by nature, are hard-working and street-smart which further adds on to this. India's mettle has been acknowledged by economists and business houses across the world.
Hopefully, the IT outsourcing boom was just one of many more such booms to come. The world knows the power of India today. India is raring to go, wild yet calm, strong yet feeble. So India is still one of the most promising economies of the world with a potential to transform the world in the years to come.

Pseudonym : h!v

4 Things That India Expects From The Modi Government (MoGo)

BJP has come to power this elections after a gap of nearly 10 years. Surely, anti-incumbency was one factor that played a vital role in their victory, but it can't be denied that the people of the country have a lot of hopes with this Modi Government. Let's do an exercise, let's analyze the top four things that the citizens of India expect from the new government.
Here we go!

Better Governance

Okay! I know this is the easiest of points to make, you always expect good governance from the elected government that we as naive, stupid but yet powerful citizens bring to power. The point is, one of the most important aspects of good governance is managing international affairs well enough. We expect Modi to make India shine in the international spectra and make true the much awaited, yet failed, objectives of ‘India Shining’. This government is expected to make its word in the world, be friendly with the super-powers and super-powers-to-be and still not succumb to their pressure and pander to their requirements. This government needs to take a strong stand in the international affairs and do away with its policy of deliberate silence (hopefully Modi speaks a lot more than Mr Singh!), only then can we think of realizing the dream of India superpower 2020. The bitter fact is India has been touted as the next big thing in the world for a bit too long without making any justice to this status internationally. At this juncture, India can at best be qualified as a regional power. For India to be an international superpower it will have to be more participative in the matters of international concern. This is the best opportunity for the BJP to bounce back into mainline Indian politics, do well and finally wipe off Congress (which is always known to come back strong).

Better Handling of issues pertaining to the cultural minorities

BJP has been under a lot of fire in the past to be a pro-Hindutva party. It's high time they did away with these orthodox idiosyncrasies. It is imperative for the BJP to restore its faith among the people of the country as a secular party whose ideologies are not motivated by caste, creed, color, religion and other such baseless crap. MoGo is expected to deal with all these issues with genuinity and fidelity without being biased to any particular section of the people. Modi's public image of being a religious hardliner needs to be over-hauled and should be rebuild on terms of pure secularism. Only if the BJP government is able to make these minority groups feel involved in the development process, Mr Modi can afford an image makeover and can wash-off the sins of 2002 that haunt him till date.

Complete check on terrorism

Cross-border militancy has always been one of the most important issues for India ever since her independence in 1947. Modi with his audacious and tit-for-tat attitude is expected to curb Indian of this menace that has been a roadblock for the country's peace perennially for years now. But whether or not Modi's hard stand be fruitful is yet to be witnessed. Nevertheless, one thing is clear, BJP has been quite clear in its agendas put forward during its campaign and has taken no restraint in portraying Congress's poor governance and mild international stand as one of the reasons for cross-border terrorism. BJP, now in power, would have to do something great to cure India of this disease that has plagued our country for eternity. Considering, MoGo is unable to do so there will be a lot of criticism and thrash talking by the opponents. MoGo just cannot afford it, for they are in a very tight spot. Only results can rescue them and prove it to the opponents that this Modi win was not just a fluke.

Development

Now this has, by far, been BJP's USP this poll season and now that they are at the helm, they will have to do justice to it. MoGo will have a lot of pressure owing to the super-high expectations the people have from Mr. Modi. Modi has left no stone unturned to convey that he believes in development politics. But the question that comes to the fore is whether or not the Gujarat model prove to be a panacea for the nation. His theory of 'one-size-fits-all' can be under strain when implemented at the pan India level. There is no doubt to the fact that Modi has been the protagonist of the Gujarat story but there is a lot of difference between a state and a country, for the sheer magnitude of money, opportunities, people and risks involved make it a really tough task to pull off with the same ease with which it was done in Gujarat. This is a golden phase for India - we have all the ingredients that it takes to fast forward the economic growth. This is the time when India has the highest percentage of Working Age Population (WAP) in the world and this number is only to increase in the next 10 years. The ratio of WAP to dependents is highest which is just perfect. The government at this point of time should try its level best to accrue as much demographic dividend as possible and not let this opportunity slide away. If we are able to channelize our youth into productive work by creating more jobs, better self-employment opportunities and better education, there is no stopping India then.

If MoGo takes care of all of these things with precision, there are definitely good days ('ache din') to come for both India and the BJP. If not, then unfortunately in spite of having everything we would still be counted amongst the backward nations of the world.

 

Pseudonym : h!v

At 43, Is Rahul Gandhi Still A Youth Icon???

Rahul Gandhi - the Youth Icon of India.
Had I been an English teacher, this would have been the first example that I would have thought of to explain my students what an oxymoron as a figure of speech means. Typically, an oxymoron is a short phrase, a combination of words, that highlights two or more contrasting qualities/peculiarities at the same time. This very construction makes an oxymoron an illogical phrase. 'Deafening Silence', 'Constructive Destruction' etc. are a few examples of it.
Coming to Rahul Gandhi - Indian Politics' first family has been reveling in projecting their heir apparent as India Inc.'s youth icon.
However, there are some inherent flaws in this image projection.RaGa recently celebrated his 43rd birthday and was revered on that occasion by the members of the Youth Congress.
Now, at 43 , is he still young enough???
I guess not.

Courtesy: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/

In a country where the average age of the citizenry oscillates somewhere around 28, he certainly cannot be considered young, let alone being a youth icon. INC might be taking into account the average age of our politicians when calling him young, but that does not make his case of claiming himself younger any stronger. After all, the absolute age has to be 'the' final criteria for defining how young an individual is. So what if most of the politicians in India either already are or soon-to-be sexagenarians. And what if the most prominent leader of the prime opposition party is an octogenarian. They don't make RaGa any younger, they only make him appear a bit younger when in the pack.
Let's analyze what exactly the Congress aims to extract from this fake and false image. The Congress well aware that its days at the helm are nearing end, wanted a strong and popular contender to kick start and boost their election campaign. That,of course, could only have been RaGa. Now that he may be, but what he certainly isn't  - is a good leader. This entire proposition by the Congress and its attempt to project Rahul as the young and vibrant leader, in its pursuit to retain power at the center, can be proved to be a fallacy. The point here the INC tries to make is that RaGa being a young leader will revamp the entire democratic system of India and largely the nation itself by pouring in a lot of novel ideas and plans. But then is the young and energetic RaGa mature enough to head the government of such a vast and diverse land called India , that too at such a critical time in history when India has been struggling to repeat the story of her golden days.So the RaGa saga, backfires for Congress on two accounts.
One, Rahul Gandhi is no more young enough to be projected as the youth icon of the country.
Second, even if he is considered young when gauged against the other fellow politicians, he is definitely not mature and 'grown-up' to the extent of leading a country like ours.He is still a teething baby, on the stage of Indian Politics.

RaGa might just be the apparent choice for the Congress, but he is not the right choice.

Pseudonym : h!v

To 'Netaji'...With Love

Dear Mr. Netaji,

First of all I feel very disgusted for having sitting down to write this letter to you, because had you been working to the best of your ability I would have never decided to write this in the first place. So more than anything else, and more than the shabby critical eye opener this letter really is, it is a token of ignominy and chagrin for you and your political class.

When will you people learn to run the country with clean hands and head. The country today is replete with cases of corruption around almost every government deal. The top political brass is hardly bothered to address the needs and problems of the common man. Instead, they are busy draining the exchequer and in process robbing the poor Indian middle class. We pay taxes to the government to make sure that the public amenities are made available. We don't owe you that money.On the contrary you owe us services in return for the taxes we pay you. We don't pay the taxes so that you can meticulously and deceitfully appropriate huge amounts of it to yourself and hide it under your desi facade.

I also wonder how big your bellies are ??? You people are even better than pigs.For pigs have that unsocial habit of going on an eating-spree in public, but you and all other netas are pretty good at concealing your greed and appetite for money.You and your accomplices execute "the fraud" with such precision that it goes unnoticed; only to become public after all the money has been chewed and digested. And then what happens is usual chores- you convene a meeting of the top group of ministers and finally instruct the CBI to cursorily probe the matter. Days and months pass-by, and the already over-burdened and over-worried people forget the case and move on.Finally, you are free on a parole and all set to bring into effect the next scam-in-progress.So apart from running the nation - and that we know very well how you do - you also take up this arduous task of denuding the public of their hard-earned money in the name of national progress.

Sometimes I really wonder - as a responsible citizen that I am - which one of you is the best pick for leading a country of more than 100 billion people. For it needs some brainstorming to run a country like ours where people rely so much upon good governance for their welfare. After all its not a joke to shape the destiny, or on that part play with the destiny, of several billion people.Each one of you in some way or the other is worse than everyone else. Some of you are illiterate goons bequeathing political power as a heir of the family legacy.Some others are educated but make the best use of their knowledge only to indulge in scams and political heists.And just a handful of you are sincere leaders, really wanting to clean your house, but are incapable and ineffective because of lack of support from their fellow counterparts.

So all in all, its a situation of total disaster wreaking pandemonium all across the system.

The result - an inescapable political imbroglio.The repercussions - ineffective governance and a corruption prone economy.

So Mr. Netaji please learn to take the onus of governing this country seriously, if not for the people who elect you to power, then at least for your own self, because you are as much a part of this country as every other Indian is.

Yours sincerely,

Ek Aam Aadmi

Pseudonym : h!v

Kissa Kursi Ka!!!

Coutesy: 
http://en.clipart-fr.com/clipart_pictures.php?id=4446

India has long boasted of being the world’s largest democracy. But there is an inherent flaw in the very structure of Indian political system. With so many parties in the political fray, both national and regional, the people of India Inc. find themselves in a political quandary. With so many parties and regional leaders appeasing them for votes the 'junta' stands utterly confused.

This has a dual effect.

One, it makes the poor and illiterate people of rural India vulnerable to the overtures made by the leaders. They easily fall prey to the false promises made by the dominant-regional leaders and end up not using their most basic political right of voting as optimally as they

should. Their ignorance proves blissful to the shrewd leaders of this country.

Second, this has a trickle-down effect on the governance of the country at large. The votes and

subsequently the power to form the government is distributed, almost so evenly, amongst these

parties that none of them emerges victorious with a thumping majority. The result: ‘An alliance’.

The consequences: distribution of power and opinions alike.

We ultimately have a government so deeply riddled with compromises and power-sharing that it’s incapable of officiously implementing a policy across the country. The same is the condition of the Indian State currently. Be it the drama we witnessed over allowing FDI or the deregulation of the prices of petrol and its variants or whatsoever. Every time the centre has tried to ratify a

new policy there has been some opposition from at least one of the members of its alliance.

There are numerous cases where we have witnessed a high level drama and polarized opinions over the ratification of a policy. Whatever be the end-result, the process of policy implementation itself suggests how deeply plagued and how unstable the foundation of Indian political system is.

In times of severe political crisis, when quick and effective decisions need to be taken, our

government finds itself tied down and burdened with the load of an alliance. Instead of expediting the process of policy-framing and decision-making the government is busy appeasing its brethren to reach a consensus on an opinion. Instead of negotiating for policies, in India's interest, with the foreign leaders the government spends time either vegetating or solving internal disputes. The people at the centre find themselves devoid of power and authority.

It’s high time the Indian leaders learnt to work in tandem with each other or else India would

still be the largest democracy in the world but unfortunately not the most successful one.

Pseudonym : h!v

A Popular Execution

Coutesy: http://wordofgreen.com/

Afzal Guru's hanging has been the talk of the town, or rather the talk of the country, for a little too long than what's acceptable.
There has been a potpourri of unsolicited opinions from the crowd. These uncalled-for opinions from the public have brought the execution of one of India's most-wanted terrorist to almost a political crisis. Never before had the people of INDIA Inc. given so much attention to the execution of an individual. And even that, never before had the Indian 'Junta' been so involved in the after math of the execution.This is definitely 'A Popular Execution'.
The guardians of human rights have been arguing and challenging the government for not allowing Guru to exercise his basic human rights and defend his right to live. Per them Guru should have been allowed to challenge the President's decision of forfeiting his 'mercy-plea'.
But the question is-Why were these so called human-rights dug deep in a grave when this very individual was conspiring  with his accomplices to attack a structure which is the soul of this democratic nation. It was not just an attack on the Parliament. It was an attack on India's secularism and democracy, two of  the most important aspects of the country that we as Indians love boasting about. It was more than just a terrorist attack. Guru was the harbinger of doom to India's political system. And now he wants mercy!!!
Do these shameless animals, typified as terrorists, take mercy into consideration while attacking on the sovereignty of a country. Or do they feel pity on the hundreds of innocent families that suffer at the bloody hands of these people. Or ever do they repent over their deeds? No they don't. Is this humane on their part?
These group of people are not humans.They are dreaded animals driven by their hollow beliefs of what they call 'jihad'. They are inhuman and foolish and deserve no mercy. It is sad to learn that none of these had ever thought of words like 'mercy' and 'pity' when they were on the path of perpetrating such heinous acts.It appears like suddenly such words pop-up in their dictionary when they are caught and prosecuted in a court of law.
So what if Guru was not allowed a second chance to defend himself, none of the soldiers and innocent people and government officials who were killed in this attack were given a chance either to save their lives.
And emotions apart, the government had no option but to keep the confidentiality and secrecy of the execution. It was expedient for the government because any fallout at that time could have had serious repercussions. J&K already saw serious tension creeping up after the news of the execution was made public; the situation verily would have been even worse had the news of Guru's execution made public before the actual date of trial.
The government probably also wanted the terror groups to drive home a message - that India would not tolerate such acts of horror anymore and would strike back hard to make sure that the perpetrators of the crime are punished to the fullest.
So what even if it is Capital Punishment...
RIP Afzal Guru...

Pseudonym : h!v

India vs USA

So who wins this battle - the battle of prestige and might of two of the largest and the most promising nations of the world. The United States has by far the highest annual GDP in the world of around $15 trillion. China, who just surpassed Japan is the second in the world in terms of GDP with an annual value of a little over $7 trillion. India, on the other hand,is way below at the tenth spot with an annual gross domestic product value of $1.66 trillion. India certainly does not even stand a chance of comparison with US when it comes to GDP value.
But there is one thing that India can confidently boost of and bank upon for its unprecedented progress - the number of young and vibrant brains it has. India is superior not only to US but almost to every other country in the world when it comes to the total headcount of the working population. The youth of India is one of its greatest strengths. The younger generation of India is ambitious and rearing to jump into the industry and do wonders to the Indian economy and to the world at large. Indian people, all around the world, have the reputation of being intelligent, sensible and hardworking. It would be a little too early to completely belittle India's past achievements and consider it out of the race to being one of the top nations of the world. India is a comparatively younger nation and its economy is still in the nascent stage.To call India 'just-a-developing-nation' at this point of time would be a mistake. India might be poor, but it has all the capabilities to grow into a world leader and dominate at the global stage. And this is because the foundations of the country and its economy were laid strong by its forefathers.
Today we might be mocked at for having a lower standard of living but the question really is - Can we guarantee that better standard of living is a measure of satisfied and happy living???
 People in US have an overall standard of living which is way above an average Indian. But we forget to notice the other part of the  story, an average American is mentally tensed and vulnerable to the American monetary systems and its policies. The entire system of reckless and exorbitant lending spree has spawned a never ending series of debts in the American financial system. An average American, no matter how hard he works and how meticulous he is in his expenses, is bound to sink deep in debts. He innocently enters into a several fathom deep powerful and inescapable black hole of indebtedness. These debts then go on multiplying year on year and sometimes even get transferred to generations.This is the horror face of 'rich' modern America.
On the contrary, an average Indian, though does not have all the pleasures in life but he knows his spending plan well. He does not spend exorbitantly, believes less in credit cards and other sources of plastic money, is more keen on saving or spending-on-savings(viz. insurance bonds, retirement plans etc.).
But in the US this lending monster has taken a modern face and is slowly laying its roots deep into the entire monetary system of the country. The lending in US is usurious.
How can we forget the recession that spell doom to thousands of people not only in the US but all across the world!!!
Not many people know, and even fewer would agree, but this recession was a direct consequence of what economists would call 'sub-prime-lending'. Because people were lent finances they didn't even deserve  or were incapable of paying it caused an increase in the amount of money floating in the market. Easy money teased people to buy large houses, and then began the house-buying spree.The real estate companies noticing the increase in people's spending power as well as demands went on to build too many houses. This caused the prices to plummet to the floor. Thus the bubble burst and the banks were not able to recover loans. The repercussions of these small defaults collectively compiled into a big package and passed on to almost every business entity in the US.
Thank God!!!
The 'lending' as well as the 'spending' in India is safe.We might always vent out our rage on the policy makers of the country for making 'people-unfriendly' policies, but out of the few things they do right, this is one of them. They have controlled the roaring animal in the Indian economy just as much it is required, and unleashed it slowly and slowly so that it makes its grip tight on the entire world and does not falter or fall down in haste.

Note: The figures quoted by the author are as per the IMF data 2012

Pseudonym : h!v

India - The Political Cabaret

Did you know Manmohan Singh, more popularly known as 'Mannu', the honorable Prime Minister of India, is an exceptional dancer.
And so is 'Didi', the TMC Chief - Mamta Banerjee.
And how can we forget the latent talent of Sonia Gandhi when it comes to play a guitar.
The Indian politics across all demographies is replete with such political superstars. It is sad and critical on part of the 'aam junta', who play the part of being the audience here, not to recognise their talent and award these political cabret stars with due respect and accolades.

Ever since UPA-I came to power, Mannu, the lead dancer, has been dancing so well to the tunes of the INC Chief Sonia that it became imperative for the junta to vote him again to power and extend his performance to a second consecutive term. The junta it seems has really enjoyed his performnance. And why not, he has never let his body language or his dance seem out of tune to the music

 composed by the Gandhi family. Such is his dancing prowess that even Michael Jackson, had he been alive, would had pangs of inferiority. For years, he has been moving his feet in synch with Sonia Gandhi and her apostles. Never has he complained or refused to perform with them - a true team player for sure (one of the most vouched for virtue in contemporary managers and leaders). Be it the slippery Moon-SCAM-walk or the hard to perfect VADRA-steps, Mannu Bhai has never backed down.
Mamta Banerjee has time and again proved that she in no way is any less a dancer than our rockstar Mannu. Didi, as she is often called by her die-hard fans (some of them literally having no choice but

to kick the bucket), has always fought back hard and has never let Mannu's profitability, popularity and glamour quotient supercede hers. Though both Mannu and Didi are a part of the same band, administered by Sonia, they have their share of apathy, and at times even antipahty, for each other. Didi, being a young gun (she is at least younger than Manmohan) is better at some power-PUBLICITY-steps. She makes sure that she uses this to the fullest against Mannu and let the limelight be on her.
Rahul Gandhi for sure has to be the KEELER-DRUMMER(KD) - the heart of this association. He is incredible at making the perfect noise just when required. And that has proven really handy to Sonia; whenever Mannu and Didi fail to enchant the audience and get booed by them, KD gets in and does a high-adrenalin-performance which drives people crazy.Remember the visit Rahul made to J&K with a resolution to hear the problems of the youth there and look up solutions for them eventually.Though the situation is much the same and we have not witnessed any major turnaround in the valley, Rahul's visit atleast pacified the people for a while. They are in peace for few months before creating a furore again. No doubt, KD, along with his drums and sticks, is the trumpcard for the UPA band.
This odd bunch of the UPA band may not have been able to exercise good governance, may have failed to provide full meals to a million destitutes in the country, may not have been able to fight back and seek revenge for a jawaan killed at the border, may not have been able to save Nirbhaya (and then they say, may she RIP!!!), and may be won't be able to save thousands of such Nirbhayas in future, but we will still re-elect them to office because of the sheer entertainment they had offered us for all these years.  

Pseudonym : h!v

Disclaimer: The opinions in the article are author's personal ideas. The author has no intention to hurt the sentiments of the public. Any resemblance to any person dead or alive is purely coincidental.