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Imagining India: The Idea Of A Renewed Nation (2009)

by Nandan Nilekani(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1594202044 (ISBN13: 9781594202049)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Penguin Press HC, The

review 1: Very thorough analysis of relevant and critical issues faced by India.If you want to know the rationale of current IT initiatives in policy decisions taken by Government, you should go through the book for eg Smart Grid Project, Direct Benefit Transfer, GIS in urban planning, NPS etc.I liked few chapters very much for eg, India by its people, Deepening of democracy,Erasing Lines,The forest for the tree.Book shines on few aspects like giving an historical account of issues by accounting British India factor and also by providing innovative solutions.However I also found certain over optimism on part of Market being all benign, 2008 financial crisis questions the claim of its efficiency and I also don't agree with his claim of caste annihilation through market and rejection... more of state policies like NREGA to promote their development.The underlying idea of strengthening the democracy by empowering local government definitely need to be pursued through the ways suggested by Mr. Nilkeni. The book ends on the note of optimism and exhort political class to take tough stands and do away with populism.Overall book is definitely a worth read to understand current challenges faced by India
review 2: Very well portrayed summary of India's growth story. The book simultaneously fills one with optimism about India's potential to become an economic powerhouse and laments the lack of initiative being taken. Exhaustive in covering all the important aspects of the nation from a policy maker's perspective - health, education, political scenario, employment, the environment - the book presents a candid picture of the state of affairs in the country. It presents the transition of the country from the protectionist regime to the business friendly, open economy it is today. Regressive government policies failed to encourage Indian businesses from becoming globally competitive until very recently. We now have an immense advantage in terms of our superior demographics and skilled, english speaking population that can compete in the world job-market as well as a rising trend of private enterprises showing the way for bottom-up growth. Our challenges lie in poor governance especially visible in low investment in basic healthcare and primary education, inability to control corruption and opacity in land-record keeping and public distribution system. Time and again, government policies have ended up benefiting special interest groups and have shown a poor track record in emancipating the poor. Vote-bank politics have buoyed economically un-viable measures such as free power and subsidies which have led to free-ridership and environmental degradation. The author has faith in the power of democracy to overthrow underperforming governments time and again and an increase in awareness in recent times that investment in infrastructure and transparency in governance are more important than sops and subsidies. The author seeks to make a personal contribution to the growth story by universalising the UID Aadhar Card to better identify and reach the target audience for public welfare programmes. Excellent read, has made me much more aware about the ills pervading the society as well as the positive forces shaping the economy and putting it on the world map. Proud to be an Indian. Jai Hind ! less

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