Welcome to the post-recession era of cost optimization, expanding post-recession market opportunities and an evolving role of finance as a strategic enterprise rather than an amorphous tool of accounting and money management. With increasing levels of social, economic and political activity among burgeoning youth communities in this melee, South Asian nations led by India, are poised to take
their place in the sun. However, economic growth is to be inclusive. By that, I mean creating more
and effective jobs in South Asia to promote gainful employment, effective utilization of existing and latent skills and talent, and inclusive economic growth characterized by poverty alleviation, improved equitability and social, economic and distributive justice.
their place in the sun. However, economic growth is to be inclusive. By that, I mean creating more
and effective jobs in South Asia to promote gainful employment, effective utilization of existing and latent skills and talent, and inclusive economic growth characterized by poverty alleviation, improved equitability and social, economic and distributive justice.
Among the 1.2 billion adolescents across the globe, 9 out of every 10 young people live in the developing world. With 72% of India’s population below the age of 40, the country is one of the youngest in the world. This scenario implies that the potential for job advancement in India is even higher than it was about a decade ago. India’s evolving middle class needs to be strengthened so that intellectual capital can be optimized and the pace of development, accelerated. A key challenge that India faces is its unprecedented rate of urbanization, which sprouts an income distribution curve depicted by a scenario where a larger piece of the pie is divided among a smaller number of people. Efficient employment generation in India represents a restructuring of its current job economy to involve rural development. Such a measure would augur well, as bridging the urban-rural divide would free up resources to focus on other equally essential priorities like health care, disability services and education, which are presently being neglected, owing to the proliferation of more fundamental and grass root-level problems. A healthier rural economy is synonymous to a happier India, and a robust India would give rise to a more prosperous South Asia.
Secondly, the creation of a large number of indigenous jobs in nations like India, Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka and Maldives, would instill self-reliance and protect South Asian economies from the
ricocheting effects of catastrophes like the global financial meltdown in 2008. The collective loss of
INR 2000 Crore among all Lehman-invested corporate entities in India, following the crash of
Lehman Brothers in 2008, is a classic case in point. Indigenous job creation in the rural sector in
India for instance, would not only attract more human capital, but also preserve its intrinsically rich agricultural economy and help developers step up services like infrastructure, health care, education and sanitation. For countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives, which have been relying heavily on India for aid, it means enhanced functionality and self-sufficiency.
Lanka and Maldives, would instill self-reliance and protect South Asian economies from the
ricocheting effects of catastrophes like the global financial meltdown in 2008. The collective loss of
INR 2000 Crore among all Lehman-invested corporate entities in India, following the crash of
Lehman Brothers in 2008, is a classic case in point. Indigenous job creation in the rural sector in
India for instance, would not only attract more human capital, but also preserve its intrinsically rich agricultural economy and help developers step up services like infrastructure, health care, education and sanitation. For countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives, which have been relying heavily on India for aid, it means enhanced functionality and self-sufficiency.
In the present day era of globalization, it is ironic that the names of states like West Bengal and
cities like Madras, Bangalore and Calcutta have been localized to Pachimbanga, Chennai, Bengaluru
and Kolkata respectively. Sure, many across the globe have become used to calling erstwhile
Bombay Mumbai. But the nonsensical name change not only involves a voluminous pool of budgetary resources that could be used to address socioeconomic issues of greater relevance but also extends
to India's approach to job growth, which is inward-looking. The name change policy in the name of a need for 'identification of the traditional self' is a different matter altogether. But what is germane to this context, is the argument that it is de rigueur for India to establish more harmonious inter-country relationships with China and all her South Asian neighbors. India’s track record involves conflicts with Sri Lanka, animosity-laced interactions with Pakistan, a trigger-keen policy towards migrant workers and cattle rustlers sweeping into India from Bangladesh, officious intrusions into Nepal’s internal
affairs and sycophantic relations with Myanmar’s autocratic leaders. India’s association with China is more reverent, though Indo-China border feuds have not been dispensed with. The only peaceful relations that India appears to have are those with tiny Maldives and complacent Bhutan. Between
2010 and 2030, India is expected to add 241 million people to its working-age population, as against
18 million in Brazil and 10 million in China. Over the next 50 years, India could evolve as a global
power if it casts off its inward-looking approach to job growth, and harnesses its youth power to
develop sustainable business and political capabilities with its neighbors. Such a scenario is what an outward-looking job creation model should be about.
and Kolkata respectively. Sure, many across the globe have become used to calling erstwhile
Bombay Mumbai. But the nonsensical name change not only involves a voluminous pool of budgetary resources that could be used to address socioeconomic issues of greater relevance but also extends
to India's approach to job growth, which is inward-looking. The name change policy in the name of a need for 'identification of the traditional self' is a different matter altogether. But what is germane to this context, is the argument that it is de rigueur for India to establish more harmonious inter-country relationships with China and all her South Asian neighbors. India’s track record involves conflicts with Sri Lanka, animosity-laced interactions with Pakistan, a trigger-keen policy towards migrant workers and cattle rustlers sweeping into India from Bangladesh, officious intrusions into Nepal’s internal
affairs and sycophantic relations with Myanmar’s autocratic leaders. India’s association with China is more reverent, though Indo-China border feuds have not been dispensed with. The only peaceful relations that India appears to have are those with tiny Maldives and complacent Bhutan. Between
2010 and 2030, India is expected to add 241 million people to its working-age population, as against
18 million in Brazil and 10 million in China. Over the next 50 years, India could evolve as a global
power if it casts off its inward-looking approach to job growth, and harnesses its youth power to
develop sustainable business and political capabilities with its neighbors. Such a scenario is what an outward-looking job creation model should be about.
Another disturbing factor is the crumbling economy in Pakistan and the unflagging propagation of
social indoctrination among several impressionable young minds – a practice, which has sent the rest
of the world reeling under the gory siege of innumerable terrorist, fundamentalist and/or extremist attacks followed by stringent security measures that curtail the freedom and convenience of innocent civilians. The 9/11 attacks in 2001, the London bombings in 2005 and the more recent 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, are only a few to mention in this flabbergasting repertoire. Over the last seven years, India alone has faced 41 terrorist attacks. If South Asian leaders took initiative to create meaningful job opportunities in Pakistan, the potential of numerous young people could be channeled to speed up the country’s economic growth and alleviate the incidence of poverty and terrorism. Furthermore, many young people in Pakistan could lead enriching and meaningful lives rather than meet fates similar to those of infamous 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacker Ajmal Kasab and his accomplice Abu Dera Ismail Khan, both 21 and 25 at the time of the incident in Mumbai.
social indoctrination among several impressionable young minds – a practice, which has sent the rest
of the world reeling under the gory siege of innumerable terrorist, fundamentalist and/or extremist attacks followed by stringent security measures that curtail the freedom and convenience of innocent civilians. The 9/11 attacks in 2001, the London bombings in 2005 and the more recent 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, are only a few to mention in this flabbergasting repertoire. Over the last seven years, India alone has faced 41 terrorist attacks. If South Asian leaders took initiative to create meaningful job opportunities in Pakistan, the potential of numerous young people could be channeled to speed up the country’s economic growth and alleviate the incidence of poverty and terrorism. Furthermore, many young people in Pakistan could lead enriching and meaningful lives rather than meet fates similar to those of infamous 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacker Ajmal Kasab and his accomplice Abu Dera Ismail Khan, both 21 and 25 at the time of the incident in Mumbai.
With the emergence of digital media, social networks and knowledge communities, meaningful jobs across South Asia would facilitate improved global connectivity, which is important to mobilize opinion and spawn a massive youth movement in support of revolutionary social causes, which can, in time, eradicate social evils like honor killings (which are tragically common in Iran, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Pakistan and even appallingly, parts of North India) and lead to general global improvements.
The right tone at the top would go a long way in arresting instances of corruption, bribery and
nepotism at higher levels of corporate and political leadership, while a sustainable job development model defined by a work culture based on meritocracy, gender-discrimination-free policies and best practices in governance would curb the rise of dishonesty, bribery and frustration at the level of the common man. Job growth opportunities would play an integral role in embracing a more peaceful environment in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka while enhancing the prosperity of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. South Asia is unique insofar as it strikes a judicious blend between tradition and modernity, capitalism and socialism. The propagation of a sustainable job culture across this part of the continent would be sure to promote intellectual, economic and technological development while keeping intact the inherent South Asian ethos of cohesiveness and compassion.
nepotism at higher levels of corporate and political leadership, while a sustainable job development model defined by a work culture based on meritocracy, gender-discrimination-free policies and best practices in governance would curb the rise of dishonesty, bribery and frustration at the level of the common man. Job growth opportunities would play an integral role in embracing a more peaceful environment in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka while enhancing the prosperity of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. South Asia is unique insofar as it strikes a judicious blend between tradition and modernity, capitalism and socialism. The propagation of a sustainable job culture across this part of the continent would be sure to promote intellectual, economic and technological development while keeping intact the inherent South Asian ethos of cohesiveness and compassion.
