India is trying to be the first country to become an industrial giant with an illiterate and unhealthy labour force-Amartya Sen
The Country of First Boys
Interview by MANJULA NARAYAN, SEPTEMBER 15TH 2015
Just before the release of his new book, The Country of First Boys, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen talks exclusively to the Hindustan Times‘ Manjula Narayan about our blindness to poverty, flaws of the Gujarat model, miniaturisation of great ideas by the Hindu right wing and interference in academia.
...........
A recent report says the number of poor children in India is much higher than many countries in Africa.
Yes, and the undernourishment is enormously worse. The immunisation rate is not worse than Africa but not much better and certainly much worse than Bangladesh, and dramatically less than Southeast Asia.
Why are we still grappling with this after so many years?
I don’t think we have got the seriousness of the issue. I mean when people say that Gujarat was a successful economic model, they overlook the fact that, in terms of undernourishment, illiteracy, lack of immunisation, Gujarat has one of the worst records, and as the Economist magazine points out, under Modi’s chief-ministership, Gujarat’s position slipped down rather than slid up. It was slightly better than Bihar earlier and it became worse than Bihar. In some ways newspapers allow people to get away with this, as if infrastructure is just physical infrastructure; just roads and power. In fact, infrastructure is also education and health care. India is trying to be the first country to become an industrial giant with an illiterate and unhealthy labour force. I don’t think it can be done. To me, it’s one of the biggest problems.
A version of this article originally appeared in the Hindustan Times. Used with permission.
- See more at: http://blog.oup.com/2015/09/amartya-sen-on-poverty-in-india/#sthash.66ALqXCo.dpuf
Is all this true??
Do we need to do something??
What will happen if we don't act?
Inequality and socio political economic injustice may derail peace in our backyard!!
With today's advancement in technology, young population, eagerness to progress...this country and world can soon become a better place, it is all within our individual capacity and choice. Murugaram Jayabharathi
The Country of First Boys
Interview by MANJULA NARAYAN, SEPTEMBER 15TH 2015
Just before the release of his new book, The Country of First Boys, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen talks exclusively to the Hindustan Times‘ Manjula Narayan about our blindness to poverty, flaws of the Gujarat model, miniaturisation of great ideas by the Hindu right wing and interference in academia.
...........
A recent report says the number of poor children in India is much higher than many countries in Africa.
Yes, and the undernourishment is enormously worse. The immunisation rate is not worse than Africa but not much better and certainly much worse than Bangladesh, and dramatically less than Southeast Asia.
Why are we still grappling with this after so many years?
I don’t think we have got the seriousness of the issue. I mean when people say that Gujarat was a successful economic model, they overlook the fact that, in terms of undernourishment, illiteracy, lack of immunisation, Gujarat has one of the worst records, and as the Economist magazine points out, under Modi’s chief-ministership, Gujarat’s position slipped down rather than slid up. It was slightly better than Bihar earlier and it became worse than Bihar. In some ways newspapers allow people to get away with this, as if infrastructure is just physical infrastructure; just roads and power. In fact, infrastructure is also education and health care. India is trying to be the first country to become an industrial giant with an illiterate and unhealthy labour force. I don’t think it can be done. To me, it’s one of the biggest problems.
A version of this article originally appeared in the Hindustan Times. Used with permission.
- See more at: http://blog.oup.com/2015/09/amartya-sen-on-poverty-in-india/#sthash.66ALqXCo.dpuf
Is all this true??
Do we need to do something??
What will happen if we don't act?
Inequality and socio political economic injustice may derail peace in our backyard!!
With today's advancement in technology, young population, eagerness to progress...this country and world can soon become a better place, it is all within our individual capacity and choice. Murugaram Jayabharathi
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