• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

G. Srinivasan

BANGALORE, May 21

THIS year's Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) of the World Bank, being held for the first time in a developing country's knowledge-city here, saw a new interpretation as to what constitutes development, even as there are views that one-size-fits all paradigm would not do.

The Union Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, who was to inaugurate the prestigious conference, did not make it to the Garden City but the State Chief Minister, Mr S.M. Krishna, made it up amply by his forthright remarks on development economics.

The World Bank's Chief Economist, Mr Nicholas Stern, warmly praised the leadership role of Bangalore in "driving dynamic India" and specifically referred to the Karnataka Government's initiative in cleaning up land records by making available land documents of citizens within the shortest possible time, transparency in administration and the right to information being piloted by the State Government.

Mr Krishna said these well-meaning reforms, which would have a beneficial impact in the long run, did not catch the attention because "there is no scandal involved and there are nobody who could be attacked". He regretted that "our system has always been secretive and there is no room for right to information."

The State Chief Minister in his remarks peppered with light repartees and serious points quipped thus: "if a person wants a document, no harm in giving him/her to do research and in the process nothing is lost except time". Perhaps much of the civic problems plaguing the country in general and the States in particular would be a thing of the past if the authorities do not pose any hurdles in the way of ascertaining how a decision about a project is made or public money is spent.

Even as there is a general impression that Karnataka is the hi-tech economy coursing on the information technology super highway with effortless ease and matchless talent, the Chief Minister spilled the beans by stating that Karnataka has the largest arid zone after Rajasthan and this needs to be factored into while assessing the economic development of the State. In a lighter vein but all the more tellingly, Mr Krishna debunked the misconception that "Karnataka is inundated with water and Tamil Nadu is starved of it".

Mr Krishna hit the nail on the head when he said development without equity and justice is a lop-sided development and this has been the agonising experience of India. He, however, maintained, "one thing that makes me an eternal optimist is that things do happen here and as long as these do happen, we are twice blessed". He, however, made it clear that some reforms are assembled together "at break-neck speed but some are agonising slow because of a set of circumstances".

On the much-touted private-public partnership which even this year's Union Budget refers to leveraging public funds to generate massive infrastructure projects, the Chief Minister mentioned about the Premji Foundation for Primary Health with the State government which is a model of meaningful cooperation.

Yale University Professor, Mr T.N. Srinivasan, struck a particularly noteworthy point in his paper on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Growth. Emphasising the importance of knowledge economy in building and bolstering economic growth, he made a point that knowledge transfer through trade is more important than aid. Left unsaid is the success of India in software exports.

He said India should not be unduly worried over special and differential treatment for developing countries; instead, India should mount a concerted attack on delinking trade and intellectual property rights (IPRS) issue since the current proposals speak of imposing sanctions for violation of IPRs on the trade and export of developing countries much to the long term adverse effect on development. He said patents should be the preserve of the World Intellectual Property Organisation and not that of World Trade Organisation.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication

Stories in this Section
ICA, Kolkata law school team up for moot arbitration camp

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line