The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `India needs reasonable development'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 20, 2007
ePaper


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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`India needs reasonable development'

M Rajeev

Wealth created at the expense of environment, says Hugo Estrella of Centre For Inquiry (CFI) - Italy

Hugo Estrella

HYDERABAD: Policy makers of the country might be overjoyed with the impressive growth in the economy, but questions are being asked over the sustainability of the growth that does not ensure proper distribution among various sections of the society.

"Developing countries are fanatically trying to increase their GDP, but this economic development does not provide solutions to the problems of the poor. Wealth is being created in the most polluting manner at the expense of the environment," says Hugo Estrella, representative of Centre For Inquiry (CFI) - Italy.

Mr. Estrella, who is also president of the Argentinean Ethical Humanist Association, told The Hindu that India needs a more rational and reasonable development that can be achieved through long-term planning and policies to ensure that proper "appropriation of the worth" is made.

Political will

While the thrust on housing, healthcare and wider public education, which form part of the new generation human rights, are the need of the hour, the country needs political determination for taxing the rich to get the money required for fulfilling the needs. By taxing the rich, the country could effectively redistribute the wealth and maximise the use of resources. "It is reasonable to tax the rich and it is the basis of any organised economy. Why can't you tax the rich for constructing hospitals and ensuring vaccines," he said.

Arms race

On the country's nuclear programme, he said there was no use of accumulating tonnes of nuclear stockpiles when the people were starving. "Can't there be reasonable terms with neighbours rather than entering the arms race," he asked.

There cannot be a situation where the country invests in resources to kill so many people but does not have enough finances to cure its own people. "Apply all the resources you have put in the arms race in building society," he said.

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