The Cow of Plenty

The Cow of Plenty59th
 SRI LANKA
Much of the extraordinary progress that India has97th
made in recent years stems from the fact that105th
successive governments have championed literacy.162nd
No economy in the world today can afford to 
neglect the education of its populace, as this ensuresPlace out of 180
a literate and numerate workforce. The remarkable1st place is the least corrupt.
success of literacy programmes in states such asPlace out of 183
Kerala has inspired Low Income Countries (LICs)1st place is the most business friendly.
around the globe.  Yet even with highly skilledPlace out of 175
workers there is no guarantee that the economy will1st place is the most media friendly.
not be buffeted by the cruel winds that periodically 
blow across the economic landscape. The harsh 
realities of the global economy have done much toEven allowing for a margin of error of ten places
concentrate minds in recent months. Oureither way, these figures are a significant wake-up
inter-dependence has been cruelly exposed by thecall.
international financial crisis and our vulnerability to theSo what direction should India take? Now is certainly
vicissitudes of the economical cycles has been madetime to take stock. There are four main areas for
all too apparent. Sadly, there has been much wringingconcern:
of hands and too little decisive action. Companies,- Corruption – Has become an insidious feature of
corporations and even entire countries havesome aspects of society that is greeted with a
appeared to have no contingency plans, no Plan B. Asdegree of resignation by many people. This further
the storm begins to subside it is essential for nationsimpedes economic development.
such as the Philippines to take stock and plan their- Excessive bureaucracy – Whilst India has
forward strategy, one that minimises risk, yet at themanaged to attract considerable foreign investment
same time seeks to maximise potential.the climate for enterprise and entrepreneurship is still
For a nation such as the India some form ofhampered by unnecessary red tape. Naturally this
aspirational template exists in the form of thevaries from state to state, but certainly tackling with
Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Eight laudablemissionary zeal.
aims that need to be at the forefront of all planning.- Threats to Press Freedom – A mature and
Rather like environmental considerations these needfunctioning democracy will be all the more healthy
to be embedded into planning and strategies at allwhen it liberalises laws related to the media and
levels; sadly all too often they are viewed as anensures that those who seek to use wealth, power
optional extra.and connections to intimidate the Press face a robust
Whilst considerable progress has been made it isand impartial judiciary.
essential that we are all familiar with them. It is only- The Justice System - The rule of Law has a pivotal
when we actually start to commit them to memoryrole to play in any society. Governments have a duty
that we realise just how few key decision and policyto ensure that systems are in place to protect all
makers are aware of what they are:citizens and to support openness and transparency.
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hungerAll too often legal processes are costly, unwieldy and
2. Achieve universal primary educationextremely time consuming. If India really aspires to
3. Promote gender equality and empower womenbe at the top table internationally it must tackle as a
4. Reduce child mortalitymatter of urgency  the issue of ‘Enforcing
5. Improve material healthcontracts' – to be bouncing along the bottom of
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseasesthe world rankings is something that will prove a
7. Ensure environmental sustainabilitymajor impediment to sustained investment and
8. Global partnership fordevelopment.  For an economy to thrive it is
development                      therefore essential that every effort is made to
Source:ensure that business law is firm and fair and
 operating as efficiently as possible. If this is not the
 case potential foreign investors will locate to more
Naturally, with a country the size of India there arebusiness friendly countries and economic benefits will
huge regional variations and it is beholden on Statebe lost.
Governments to examine what is going well, but 
equally that which requires a redoubling of effort.Policy makers need also to give thought to how they
Much good work has been done, yet more remainsassist local entrepreneurs as they can often be a key
to be done. Targets are of little use unless there is ameans of stimulating economic growth and providing
concerted effort to achieve them at every level.employment. Whilst there is some data to suggest
 that some progress has been made to create an
Any society that is serious about making significantenvironment conducive to enterprise and investment,
headway has to focus on creating a business friendlyit is still insufficient to generate the sort of
environment, one that minimises the cancer that isconfidence required to stimulate and attract sustained
corruption and one that to be a true and matureinvestment.
democracy allows a free and responsible media. If 
these yardsticks are employed the current situation is 
further elucidated and it becomes clear what IndiaCountry
needs to work on when compared with herStarting a business
neighbours and the other BRIC (Brazil, Russia, IndiaRegistering property
and China) economies.Getting credit
 Trading across borders
CountryEnforcing contracts
Corruption PerceptionIndia
Index  ranking 2009169 out of 183
Source:93 out of 183
Ease of doing business ranking 200930 out of 183
Source:94 out of 183
Press Freedom Index 2009182 out of 183
Source: 
BANGLADESHThe ranking is the position held by India out of 183
139thcountries in 2009.
119thData supplied by the International Finance
121thCorporation, OECD and the World Bank.
BRAZIL 
75thAll governments by their very nature are reluctant to
129thadmit failings, whether at a local or a national level,
71stand yet there are some positive signs for those
CHINAwilling to look for them. There has been an
79thimprovement in India's standing in the Press Freedom
89thIndex (2009) compiled by Paris based the NGO
168thReporters sans frontières (Reporters
INDIAWithoutBorders). A robust, free and responsible press
84this a good thing in any civilized society. Also the thirst
133rdfor education at all levels is proving a significant
105ndengine for change and it is through harnessing the
PAKISTANconsiderable potential of the country's greatest asset
139th– the people themselves – that India will
85thcontinue to move forward. The remarkable hunger
159thfor education reminds me of the splendid motto of
RUSSIAthe Madras Library Association; "To be literate is to
37thpossess the cow of plenty.
46th