Jack Immelt on India

Essay by khaitan_sunilUniversity, Master'sA+, January 2005

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You might ask, with this great story, what keeps me awake at night?

To which I would answer, a number of things.

Devolution, defined by Webster as the surrender of powers to local

authorities by the central government, is serious threat facing

India. It stems from a process of gradual deterioration with

potentially important political, social, and economic consequences.

While some signs of devolution are already apparent in political and

social contexts, questions remain as to whether the general process

can be turned around or limited. The economic reform efforts of the

early 1990s were insufficient to stem that process. Launching a new

wave of economic reforms will be crucial to reduce poverty, promote

growth and thus prevent further political and social deterioration.

The root cause of India's devolution is a fundamental lack of strong,

progressive and centralised political leadership. After roughly 50

years of nearly uninterrupted rule by the Congress Party, Indian

politics have been a comparative "free-for-all" since 1996.

Since

then, three national elections have produced six different coalition

governments led by four prime ministers.

There is a trend today toward less qualified people among career

Indian civil servants. The Indian Administrative Service, long

staffed with well-educated, highly regarded graduates, is no longer

attracting the best and the brightest. The service has become

politicised and meritocracy is dying. The capability and experience

of individuals available to occupy key ministerial secretarial

positions is declining.

In addition, the number of accused and in many cases convicted

criminals occupying elected positions in state and central

governments is alarming.

The current coalition government in New Delhi, led by the BJP, is

composed of 23 parties, representing a wide range of primarily

regional and caste-based parties. While both the Congress and BJP

claim to be "national" parties, it is clear that neither will...