Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 24 (IANS) Political and institutional reform was needed to fulfil India’s aspiration to be a superpower in an emerging multi-polar world, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said Sunday.

“We need to get our act together. Though the democratic institutions are there, the democratic functioning has not lived up to the people’s expectations. We need political and institutional change,” Sibal said, opening discussion of the Harvard India Debate ‘Is India destined to remain forever a potential superpower and may never actually become one?’

Even though he may have been sceptical on the civil society’s role in drafting the Lokpal bill, Sibal said the factors that will push through these reforms will be the economy and civil society.

Stating that good governance and legislation to deal with corruption was needed, he said: “We have a robust civil society to push government for this.”

Sibal also stressed that economic factors will force government to liberalise further, in fields like education, as the demand grows.

“Presently, the gross enrolment ratio is 14 percent at present, it will be 30 percent by 2020. We will have 45 million students eligible for colleges, putting economic pressure on government to establish more universities. The policies will need to be liberalised and private players would have to be allowed,” he said.

Sibal said huge labour force and high saving rates were in favour for India.

“India has one of the highest rates of savings, the effective labour force is 60 percent, and in years to come, there will be an increase with more women participating,” he said.

Sibal also said that the 21 century will have a multi-polar world and Asian nations including India, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam will be in the focus holding nearly 50 percent of the global trade. Presently these countries have 25 percent share in global trade.

The discussion,organised by Harvard Club of India - the Indian chapter of Harvard alumni association, also saw participation of former foreign secretary Lalit Mansingh, Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najeeb Jung, Asian Development Bank Managing Director Rajat Nag, and Professor Bibek Debroy from the Centre for Policy Research.

Mansinghsaid India is not chasing an ambition to become a super power, but was increasingly at the centre-stage of international politics.

Jung meanwhile said that the aim will not be achieved without including millions who are socially and economically deprived.

“The poor man has no voice, he cannot approach the legal system. If we want to be a superpower, we need to do more,” Jung said.

His point was backed by Asian Development Bank MD Rajat Nag who said India could get stagnated in the middle income category unless inclusive development is ensured.

“If we don’t take care of people being left behind, we will be left behind,” he said.