ASSOCHAM vision for India - Economic Agenda

Introduction
Strategic Framework for Achieving Vision
Knowledge - India's Strategic Driver for Growth
Six Guiding Principles to Achieve Vision

Introduction

In more than 50 years of independence much has been achieved on many fronts. However our performance on the economic front is somewhat dwarfed by that of our Asian neighbors and other countries. On the credit side we have achieved self sufficiency in food and established an industrial base with our economy achieving a measure of resilience that could withstand the rigors of even the east Asian crisis. On the debit side one third of our people still live in abject poverty, disease stalks the land, 50 % of our urban population are slum dwellers without access to hygienic conditions. We are into a population explosion, which if not checked, will take to 1.5 billion mark in the year 2030. Our literacy rate 52% and by the year 2010 half the world illiterates will be Indians. We have criminally neglected education of the girl child. We will have to answer the posterity “how and where will our children live.”

It is imperative that we set a long economic agenda for the nation. Assocham’s objective is that a long term vision & Economic policy must be in place to ensure the future of our children and insure them against the vicissitudes.

The political parties by and large agreed that globalisation is movement which cannot be arrested or changed and that India has to become globally competitive for it to take its rightful place in the comity of nations.

The broad contours of economic agenda involves commitment to :

• Controlling population

• Continuance of economic reforms and liberalization

• Streamlining and simplification of procedures

• Decontrol and removal of administrative hurdles form the way of free and market driven enterprise

• Boosting exports, improving balance of payment position and consolidating reserves.

• Modernisation and strengthening of core infrastructure

• Upgradation and making available state of art technology in all spheres of the economy

• Making India into a vibrant and market driven economy compatible and comparable with the economic super powers.

Stress should also be laid on:

• Reforms with human face that take care of compelling issues like elementary education, particularly female education and empowerment, and health care

• A safety net for those who might lose jobs through reforms and restructuring of business organizations.

• A special thrust to employment generation, especially in areas like agriculture, housing, and the services sector, particularly tourism.

• An information Technology and Communications revolution make India a super power in this sector.

• Developing a knowledge-centered society that creates new opportunities and fresh answers to old problems