The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Build on success stories: Shourie

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 30, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Build on success stories: Shourie

Staff Reporter

"India must look to develop inherent strengths"

CHENNAI: Indians must vote carefully and elect better leaders, said Arun Shourie, Member of Parliament.

Mr. Shourie, who was addressing members of the Madras Management Association, said Indians must build on "our success stories, be it in any part of the country. Therein lies our inherent strength."

He was delivering the MMA's golden jubilee lecture, `India's time has come.' He said, "We must give history a helping hand." Over the years changes in other countries — Russia, Germany, Japan, China, Pakistan, the European Union or West Asia — had been much talked about but they had not measured up to expectations.

Strategic capabilities

Compared to China, "our foreign exchange reserves and steel production are low." China had capitalised on its military and strategic power and established colonies in neighbouring countries, while, because of Muslim and British invasions, Indians were denied the opportunity to build their strategic and military capabilities. India should look at its inherent strengths such as the family and community bond where people helped each other.

India's success was due to a combination of skills, improved infrastructure and extremely low cost methods. Farmers in India were alert to changes in pricing and computer literacy in India had improved. States were competing with each other to woo investors. But, in the three States that began the process — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra — development programmes were hampered causing IT companies to revise their opinion.

Mr. Shourie, who later took questions from the audience, said that though India was shining there was much to be done before the country could take pride in its achievements. He urged the members to "think of political management in India."

If India were to truly shine, successive governments had to be partners in progress.

The lecture was organised by the MMA and Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

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