Alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have published a study which says that they have contributed 20 lakh crore to the Indian economy. I strongly doubt the veracity of this motivated and inflated claim.
Actually, till “liberalization” in the 1990s, India was a low-tech country. With open borders, knowledge developed overseas was made available to us. And this is not just in high-tech areas, even kitchen appliances of good quality were not available in India during socialist times.
So, I say no cheers for the IITs – and I give 3 loud cheers for free trade.
Secondly, while the IITs and IIMs have been there since the 60s, the precise area where we Indians have failed is “social science.” We have got our Economics, Political Science, Law and Public Administration completely screwed up. And if we want to get them right, we must invest in private institutions that study and teach liberal social science.
IITs and IIMs were set up by our The State. And they achieved nothing. There is no IIT-IIM professor who knows anything about liberalism. You don’t find any in the public debate. They are all “government servants.”
The real challenge facing India is not technology – which we can easily import.
The real challenge is getting the economy and the polity (including the judicial system and the civil services) working properly, after 60 years of socialist abuse.
We need "social science."
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ReplyDeleteSauvik,
ReplyDeletethis is how it works:
our The State and mediocre citizens say:
1. govt should provide for engg and medicine so that our children can become 'first-class' citizens one day
2. we need technology, and we have home grown... the best quality
(the fact that the best are not only home-grown, but west-flown)...
3. IT DOESN'T BLOODY WORK! (this is what they DON'T understand)
what these buggers don't want
1. their children and daughters turning out to be anything apart from
a) Engg
b) Doctor
c) CA
and thats it .... FULL EESTOP!
2. SOCIAL LIBERALISATION
3. free markets and free trade
Therefore what we have is a society who doesn't want wealth, but prestige that can be bought 'free' with technical expertise
I read your posts and enjoy them. I must, however, say something you may not like. It is fashionable to be green in this age, even for libertarians, but is this new blog design not a bit, er, over the top?
ReplyDelete:-)
hope u like it now, rambodoc
ReplyDeletethat was just some youthful enthusiasm on the part of satyajit dey.
keep your comments rolling, though :)
Thanks. This is so much more easy on the eyes!
ReplyDelete:-)