We need good bureaucrats and politicians who can work together with corporates

India enjoys respect because of its companies NR Narayana Murthy

Mitu Jayashankar, economic times 16 Aug, 2007

There are lots of good things that India has achieved; we have produced world-class scientists, doctors and engineers. We have reduced poverty and increased literacy; we have sent rockets to space. However, the job is not fully done, we still have the largest mass of illiterates in the world and the malnutrition levels are really high. There are 150 million Indians who do not have access to drinking water and 750 million do not have decent sanitation. But today, I would like to focus on what we have achieved rather than what still remains to be done...

You must remember that respect for India today is only because of its corporate sector. In the last 10-12 years, the corporate sector has created some of the best global Indian companies in the world. The focus on exports means that India today has excess foreign reserves and Indians have much higher levels of confidence. We need good bureaucrats and politicians who can work together with corporates and put the interest of the country first...

This is the time the government needs to think about liberalising education. Just like it liberalised the industry in 1991 and unleashed the economic revolution, it needs to do that with education. Today, we are reaping the benefits of the work done by people like Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1950s when they created world-class institutions like the IITs and IIMs. Today, India has tremendous respect in the world because of these institutes. We have to continue that work.