Change is the only constant. Change is hope. And this nation needs change more than it ever has in its 65 year old independent history. And each of us has a different opinion on how this is to be achieved. Protests tell the government that something needs to be done. Public policy tells the government WHAT needs to be done. The Indian Economist is a forum that lays special emphasis on policy making. Direct action influences a single issue in a single region, policy action influences the same issue across the nation over a long period. Thus clearly, policy action is a powerful weapon to solve some of India’s worst problems.
For decades it has been believed in India that the government can solve all our problems. However other nations have galloped ahead of India and our nation remains a largely poor and illiterate backwater compared to Western and South East Asian economies. The question we must ask ourselves is, why are we failing? The answer lies clearly in the large role of the government. The government’s long hand has reached into all sections of economic activity and strangled it through red-tape and regulations. The global “Ease of Doing Business Ranking” coincides almost perfectly with the global per-capita income list. The government is still present in a wide range of sectors that it has no business occupying. From education (Fund Students, not Schools) to airlines, the private sector can do it much much better. With moves such as the Direct Cash Transfer, the government is trying to give more power to the consumer to choose his own producer, a move that is laudable.
We here at The Indian Economist will seek to discuss solutions under the motto: “Less regulation, not more. Less government, not more”. Following this principle we find that a whole range of society’s problems seem reachable. Over the course of the following months, the Indian Economist will unveil a series of articles, research pieces, debates and more to guide thoughts, actions and philosophies towards an India that is a liberal and free meritocracy.
Excellence is Life
Manan Vyas
(The author is currently a 2nd year student of B.Com Honours at Hindu College, Delhi University)