THE ECONOMY NEEDS A REBOOT

We have achieved staggering accomplishments in India in the last decade as more than 200 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty. This is no minor feat and we can be justifiably proud of it. The accelerated economic growth over such an extended period of time has helped us to create access to opportunities to many, but still the benefits from this growth spurt has eluded many more!

As if this was not enough of a challenge, there is undoubtedly a south bound turn in our growth curve. Banks, non banking finance companies and cooperative banks are reeling under non-performing assets, bank frauds are being regularly unearthed, and management is being found implicated in financial misdemeanor, hand in glove with corrupt politicians. There are problems at both ends of the sales spectrum.  If big corporate houses are feeling the stress as demands plummet and huge inventories of cars, bikes, farm equipment remain unsold, and flats and shops are no more in demand, even the modest buyers of biscuits, toothpaste, underwear and shaving blades are being super selective with their purchases. The investors are justifiably worried and wondering what happened to the domestic demand of 1.3 billion people?

This has led us today to a chicken and egg situation. The investor will only invest when he sees an increase in demand and the buyer will only buy when the investor and / or the government invests in newer technologies and creates better paying jobs for him / her. This has been further complicated by the newest Nobel laureate Amitabh Banerjee with his idea of Universal Basic Income. Provide money to the poor for doing nothing to create demand and a level playing field is his NYAY. When people have a fair and level playing field and are able to participate in and benefit from the growth, the economy is strong and the society is safer, healthier and happier. 

The fact of the matter is that three quarters of the businesses globally expect the process of automation and technological up-gradation in near future. Workers will have to learn newer skills with evolving demands. Our education and skill development planners should be able to prepare our youth for these new and very different jobs. So instead of rigid syllabus format our institutions will have to be extremely flexible and the study resources material should change with changing demands of future employers. Education planners like the University Grants Commission and management of ITIs will have to sit with the industry and be creative enough so that their degree and diploma holders are not unemployable when the occasion comes up. Only then will eager and talented job seekers get their dream jobs!

Thus the new education and training protocols will have to anticipate, plan, formulate and eventually align with tomorrow's demands. Almost every sector, technology,  retail, healthcare is on the verge of change with inputs from the 4th industrial revolution - Autonomous robots, Simulation, Big data and Analytics, Augmented Reality, the Cloud, Cyber security, Additive manufacturing, Internet of things and Artificial Intelligence, and our youth has to be prepared for the workplace of future. 

Productive and employable youth, engaged in well paying jobs will help to create stronger communities, robust economy and a powerful nation. So businesses, government and community leaders all three have vested interest in assuring that our youth acquire the necessary education and skill set to become a part of tomorrow's successful global workforce. This will require educational reforms that are long overdue. 

Businesses need vibrant, honest and prosperous societies to succeed just as societies need dynamic, honest and innovative businesses to create jobs and boost commerce. The role of the government should be that of a facilitator, help our businesses to compete globally. How can smaller economies like Vietnam and Bangladesh do better than us? Vietnam has become the second largest exporter of mobile phones, exporting 40% of the global demand and Bangladesh has acquired a prime position in footwear and apparel industry because their governments were smart to restructure their tax system and make manufacturing cheaper and competitive while we were left napping. We have unreasonable caps on FDI limits and are in a habit of increasing tariffs to protect inefficient domestic industries. We desperately need industrial reforms and labour reforms and these tested and failed left of centre gimmicks need to be given up once and for all.

TRAVEL DESTINATION INFLUENCERS

You may be choosing destinations by discussing with your friends or getting inspired by their Instagram pictures but do you know that there are people out there who are making a living out of this? Yes, they are professional Destination Influencers, regularly employed by governments and travel agencies, whose job is to sell to you the idea that there is more to tourism in Saudi Arabia than the regular Haj pilgrimage!

For travellers the social media platform can be an invaluable tool. You can meet people through Instagram. You can be inspired by Instagram. You can research destinations, you can find new places, you can discover great food, explore amazing locations and pick up priceless local tips all through that little app on your phone. And these Destination Influencers are all over the social media with their catchy travelogues, luring you to visit the place of their client’s interest!

So who are these guys? The top ten Instagrammers who are in this business are:

·         Murad Osmann – 4.2M Followers. ...

·         Chris Burkard – 3.3M Followers. ...

·         Jack Morris – 2.8M Followers. ...

·         Jennifer Tuffen – 2.7M Followers. ...

·         Jessica Stein – 2.5M Followers. ...

·         The Bucket List Family – 1.6M Followers. ...

·         Louis Cole – 1.4M Followers. ...

·         Tara Whiteman – 1.2M Followers.

These professionals have changed the game of choosing travel destinations. I do a lot of my travel research over Instagram, sometimes consciously, sometimes completely organically. I've been inspired to travel to places I'd never even heard of thanks to the people I follow on social media. I've been encouraged to try new food, to take chances on strange places, to just get out there and explore and discover and marvel.

Who are Destination Influencers?

You know influencers, even if you don't think you do. Anyone you follow who has, say, more than 10,000 followers is an influencer. In travel, that means someone who is encouraging a wide audience to go to certain places and do certain things. Their sites / blogs are free-for-all and they are always telling you which are the ideal destinations for the powerful and the popular, the beautiful and the talented. Now would you deny that you are one of them!

Instagram users trust influencers, which is a big part of their appeal. There's an organic feel to your social feed that makes you think you're talking to a friend, even if you're following some A-lister celebrity with a million followers who has no idea who you are. You take influencers at face value. There's no cynicism. No mistrust. These are just real people.

If you follow someone like Tara Whiteman (@taramilktea – 1.3 million followers), or Gab Scanu (@gabscanu – 363,000), you might have noticed that exact scenario on your feed recently. The Australian duo are two of multiple influencers who have recently been paid by the Saudi government to travel to the country, take photos and say nice things about it. In fairness to Tara Whiteman, she labels her posts "#sponsored", so you at least know someone else is paying. Gab Scanu does not. There's no obligation to own up to payments like this, either, which is why you would probably – or, even better, might not have – noticed particular brands and destinations lately appearing, for no discernible reason, in the feeds of popular accounts that you trust.

These are advertisements, that very same as billboards on the streets or pop-ups on your browser. It's just that on Instagram they're delivered by people you rely on in a voice you recognize.

My issues with Destination Influencers

I do not have a problem with someone using his/her talents to help other travelers and in the process earning a livelihood. My issues are two. The first is that their suggestions do not come with disclaimers and warnings. They are usually sugar and spice and everything nice. Is Saudi Arabia a country that really deserves your hard earned money? Are its people being treated humanely? What is life like for women in Saudi Arabia? What's happening to, say, Loujain al-Hathloul, one of multiple activists who remain in prison in Saudi Arabia right now for the crime of campaigning for women's rights? What is happening about the murderers of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, journalist for The Washington Post and former general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel? Is advertising travel destinations for them ethical?

Another problemI have with destination influencers is over-tourism of certain destinations to the point of their destruction. Instagram has always been a great place to find travel inspiration, displaying photos of hidden paradises around the world. But once Instagram photos attract enough attention, the locations that get geo-tagged can be overrun by tourists trying to snap similar shots. This results in overcrowding, gridlock, environmental damages, and more, thanks to unwelcome Instagram fame. So whether it is Rialto Bridge in Venice, or Jackson Hole in Wyoming, U.S, or Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon in Iceland, or Rue Crémieux in Paris, or lavender farm in Surrey, England, or mountain pass of Trollstigen in Norway or even Mount Everest in Nepal, travel influencers have done a lot of disservice to them much to the discontent of the local residents.

Traditional travel media is not exactly perfect in this respect. Writers accept free trips from the tourism boards of various countries around the world all the time. They write travel stories about these countries, and post photos and anecdotes to their social media accounts. But, there are a few differences though. Writers for mainstream media organisations always declare any interest from a third party up front ("The writer travelled as a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand" etc). While regular travel journalists make our living from selling stories, influencers tend to be paid in a direct sponsorship arrangement. So the regular reporters have a greater degree of freedom to write what they see and what they feel.

Remember, travel destination influencers cannot replace your own friends. Nor can they replace the regular travel reporters. They're business people making a living from advertising. Sometimes they'll give you sound advice, and sometimes they'll lead you astray. It's worth remembering though that if everything they photograph and write seems too good to be true – it probably is. I read them but always cross check with my friends before planning a trip.

DON’T RUIN YOUR HOLIDAY

A holiday is a most needed break to recharge your batteries and it does not come easily. You need to leave your work, the comfort of your home, the predictability of your routine and embark upon an unknown destination in search of something new. This is just too important an event to be left to chance. Given a choice you would like to plan it meticulously from home to home. But there are occasions when your best planned holidays go bust and you may not be able to do a thing about it and only end up feeling cheated. A holiday turning into a flop show is the last thing you and your family needs.

When things start going bad during a holiday I classify them in three broad heads – minor irritants, bad with the good and major glitches.

Minor Irritants:

I do not mind the minor irritants, and in face I have learned to enjoy them too. Thus loud music, party people in the next room, lumpy bed, lousy coffee and poolside cabanas all taken at 10 AM are all game. Costly internet data, hotel rooms facing noisy streets and conducted tours costlier than promised are all a part of the game. These niggles are pretty much going to happen wherever and whenever you go and I never complain. I have in fact stayed up the whole night with football fans half my age in Rio de Janeiro lamenting their World Cup loss and lost my way back to my hotel in Moscow and ended up spending the night in a metro station with two Germans with negligible familiarity with the English language!  These were unique experiences, few others can boast of!

The bad with the good:

In this category are:  

Binging with the locals

1. Getting lost: Getting lost in a new city is part of the travel parcel. This can be graded on a scale from ‘losing one’s direction’ right through to ‘having no idea where you are’. Google maps can help but not always. When we get lost in a new place, our adrenaline levels increase, we turn into Sherlock Holmes and try to figure out how to get back on track. You never know, you might bump into something worthwhile, like a cozy pub, or an interesting street performer in a suburb where locals hang out. These will never be on the tourist map!
2. Getting on the wrong train or bus: How many times have you had to check the train map, run your finger along the colourful direction of its tracks to make sure you are headed the right way to your destination? Sometimes this becomes so much harder, especially when you are in a country that has a different alphabet to what you are used to. But then again, it gives you a great opportunity to get off the train, pop your head out of the station and have a look around for the same benefits as getting lost!
3. Trying to match the locals, particularly with the drinks: You’ve had a few vodka martinis before, right? Well, if for example, you are in Russia, your previous martinis do not make you an expert vodka drinker, so it is probably not a wise idea to keep up with the locals. The hangover may ruin your next day’s travel plans but on the flip side if you binge together you make new friends for life!

Major glitches:

What can truly turn your holiday into hell is mostly stuff that is mostly avoidable.

Thomas Cook goes belly up

1. Accidents that put you in hospital: People do stuff on holidays they never do back home. Ride camels, horses, pilot quad bikes over precipitous terrain. Ride scooters without a license or a helmet in places where traffic rules are a little more elastic than you're used to, where traffic might be dense and roads narrow and potholed – and you wonder why you've ended up in hospital? I have seen a friend’s sail/bike trip through the Croatian Islands come to an abrupt end with fractured ribs and wrist when he had a nasty fall from his bike. He was not a regular biker and it was a bad choice.
2. Traveling without travel insurance: No one likes insurance, no one thinks they will need insurance, but it is an important thing to purchase before your trip. Many people omit this from their planning as they think they will save a buck or two. The airline may lose your bags, you may fracture your toe and need medical advice, or you may be pick pocketed. Insurance will come to your rescue.
3. Airline or tour operator goes bust: Tour operators and airlines go down the fiscal rabbit hole. When they do they sink faster than the Titanic. As more than 100,000 holidaymakers who paid for their dream holiday with Thomas Cook found out when the company declared bankruptcy, leaving them stranded overseas. Don't expect help from your travel insurer since policies offer no protection against travel operators' insolvency. I honestly do not know how to handle this one except paying through the nose to return home.
4. Getting arrested: You may feel it is difficult but if you are unaware of local traditions, dress codes and customs then even the bikini you wear to your neighborhood beach back home can get you arrested. China, USA, UAE, Thailand do not believe in giving any benefit of doubt to the tourists and ignorance of law is not an excuse. Dress code, drugs and infringements of immigration laws usually result in tourist arrests.
5. Civil unrest: There are many areas in the world where advisories recommend you don’t travel to because of the dangers they hold for travellers. So travelling to war zones – Syria, Iraq is not recommended but the so called safe heavens for tourists like Hong Kong and Barcelona have turned red hot of late. But if you choose to go to these unsafe places not only can you find cheaper deals in travel and stay, but once you get there, locals tend to be very friendly when they see tourists and will go out of their way to help you. So if you are planning a visit to U.K around October 21, 2019 be prepared for some Brexit related glitches. If you get caught up and your plans are affected, your travel insurer might cover any extra costs you've incurred provided you were inadvertently trapped. If there are riots happening and you chose to go, don't expect too much sympathy.
6. Weather events: Too much rain, too little rain, storms, hot winds, volcanoes, typhoons – what Mother Nature throws down can play havoc with your holidays. Cyclone Feni destroyed almost all the beach resorts in Puri in the state of Odisha in India and the visitors had terrifying stories to tell! Over summer, passengers on some European river cruises were offloaded from their vessels and shunted onto buses when water flows were too low to float their boat. Small and less cataclysmic weather events that force a change of plans – a cloudy day that prevents you from taking a mountain hike, or rain that cancels a day's outing – I classify them with minor irritants.
7. Baggage lost: On most occasions this turns out to be a minor irritant, reaching you within a day or two, but if the bags have your special clothes or work related documents you may miss out big time. The monetary value would be covered by most travel insurance policies but the occasion value will remain either irreplaceable or may cost you a fortune.
8. Strikes: France is notorious for them. Their transport workers – railway, buses, and airplanes are all infected by the ‘strike’ virus. Air France occasionally catches the disease, as do Italian transport workers who tend to strike on Fridays and Mondays. The risk is mainly confined to European countries with strong unions.
9. Not checking if you need a visa: Believe me, this happens with many travelers. The last thing you want is to get off an 11 hour flight, only to find you are not allowed into the country you are heading to. Some countries allow you to buy visas at the border / airport / seaport, but this will depend what passport you hold. If you are a multi-passport holder, you may be able to pick and choose which one to use. So be very sure about visa requirement before you go. Pakistan and Bangladesh give Indians city specific visas, so you must be sure where all your visa allows you to travel.
10. Frauds: be very careful while you exchange your currency and do so in official outlets. Promise of better in dubious places may cost you dearly. Counterfeit currency can land you in jail. Avoid all smooth talking good Samaritans and self proclaimed helpful tour guides.

Pro democracy protesters in Hong Kong Airport 

Transport union strike in Paris

Travel is fun, and let it be just that. Plan it well, but don’t get obsessed by your plans and disheartened by minor irritants. Enjoy them, as they become your travel stories to tell. Be careful and avoid the major glitches and be sure to start planning for the next holiday as soon as you are back home from one.

ABROGATION OF ARTICLE 370 – STIRRED UP A HORNET’S NEST

Kashmir has changed forever and everyone in the subcontinent knows it. After the abrogation of Article 370 there has been a seismic change in the geopolitics of this region and it has sent all the stakeholders – India, Pakistan and China back to the drawing board. The people of Kashmir will benefit the most as they get truly integrated in the intricately woven tapestry of India.

What is this Article 370?  

Article 370 was drafted under Part 21 which deals with "Temporary, Transitional and Special” provisions and under the Constitution of India gave special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir. It came into effect in 1949, two years after independence. By this article all the provisions of the Constitution which applied to other states did not apply to J&K until and unless the state legislative assembly separately passed such provisions. Except for defence, foreign affairs, finance, and communications, Parliament of India needed the state government's concurrence for applying all other laws. The residents of the state of Jammu & Kashmir lived under a separate set of laws including those related to Citizenship, Ownership of property and Fundamental rights. The Directive Principle of State Policy and Fundamental Duties did not apply to the state of J&K. This Article was further strengthened by Article 35A in 1954 by which no outsider could buy property or get a state job in J&K.

What does the abrogation of Article 370 mean?

1. J&K will no longer enjoy special status now
2. The Indian Constitution laws will be 100 percent applicable to all residents of Jammu & Kashmir.
3. Part 4 of the Indian Constitution, the Directive Principle of State Policy and Fundamental Duties will now apply to the state of J&K
4. There will be no separate flag for J&K now
5. Article 360 (Financial Emergency) of the Indian Constitution will now be applicable
6. Minorities (Hindus & Sikhs) will have 16% reservation now
7. Right to Information & Right to Education will be applicable now
8. The duration of the legislative assembly will now be five years instead of six
9. Article 35A will be nullified. A woman from J&K can still retain her rights and citizenship even if she marries someone out of the J&K state 
10.  The Panchayats will enjoy the same powers as in other states.

11. Indians can buy land and migrate to do business in J&K. The cost of land will increase several times and can be put to better use. The standard of living of J&K is going to rise when Indian MNCs invests in hotels, resorts, factories, industries and businesses.
12. The Dalits and backward caste individuals can get their legitimate rights given to them by the constitution of India, which were denied in Kashmir by their local government.
13. Financial institutions will be subjected to Indian laws and appropriate measures to control corruption can be taken now by the central government.
14. Foreign Investments can now flow into J&K so rapid economic growth is expected.
15. Separatists cannot even talk about azadi in which case sedition law will be unleashed. The authorities are in a better position to curb terrorism now

By this one stroke of legislation the government of the day has achieved its mission of One Nation One Constitution. This will instill the feeling of unity among all citizens of India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. It will open doors for private sectors to invest in J&K. This will boost the economy of the state. There will be the scope of other job opportunities now apart from tourism. Kashmiri youth can be trained on technical skills and be gainfully employed instead of collecting Rs 500 for stone pelting from terror outfits. Additionally the centre will be able to provide better medical facilities to citizens of J&K now and the shameful neglect of Ladakh by the state government will now come to an end as it becomes a separate Union Territory. Article 370 was exploited by only 3 families, the dynasties who had hijacked the fate of Kashmiri people for 72 years. This will now stop. Pandering to the secessionist elements and giving pension to those who plot against us will now stop once and for all.

Why is Pakistan disturbed by abrogation of Article 370?

Since August 5, 2019 Pakistan is in a state of status epilepticus. It is having repeated convulsions not only in its politics but also in social life and the news media both print and television is having a field day! They have forgotten everything about their depleting coffers, their corrupt politicians, and religious fanaticism and have dived into the whirlwind of Kashmir head on to save the poor ‘Muslims’ in Kashmir! Yes, their secular soles, which easily tolerated the gradual disappearance of their own Hindu population from 23% in 1947 to 3% in 2019, and did not raise the alarm when Hindus were cleansed out of Kashmir by their terror sympathizers, are now concerned about the ‘Muslims’ in the valley! This in a country which has had innumerable Muslim Presidents, Governors, Chief Ministers, Vice Chancellors, Army Generals, Police Commissioners and business icons!

Ironically Pakistan never supported 370 because support would mean accepting Kashmir integration to Indian union. Now it seems to be last straw for them in their Kashmir based foreign policy. Their Prime Minister spent his entire 45 minutes on the U.N.G.A podium lamenting about an Article of the Indian constitution which till August 5, 2019 was not even recognized by them! Pakistan never acknowledged this arrangement giving defining unique relation of Jammu and Kashmir with India. For Pakistan, the main objection was to the fact that Article 370 declared that entire Jammu and Kashmir belonged to India, and the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with post-Partition India was valid. The same was held in the first UN resolution as well which Pakistan never showed intent to implement. Now, by resorting to an aggressive campaign for restoration of the pre-August 5 status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Imran Khan government of Pakistan has officially admitted to the validity of Article 370. This translates into an acknowledgement that Jammu and Kashmir legally belongs to India and hence, it does not have a locus standi, a stand that Pakistan never took in public view. That the real focus of Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan now shifts on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir that includes Gilgit and Baltistan is going to embarrass them even further.

There are no changes in geography of the region; POK still remains in their illegal occupation. Only administrative changes and removal of special status has sent shockwaves down their spine. After the surrender of 94,000 plus army men in 1971 Pakistan changed the rules of the game. Their new game plan was of hurting India with thousand cuts. This game plan was immensely helped by Article 370 and this has been threatened by its abrogation. Political entities along with traditional separatist outfits were brought in synchronization in last four decades. 40 years of hard work in Kashmir by Pakistan has been nullified in single parliamentary decision.

What is the Chinese interest in J&K?

China, the third party in Kashmir is too taken by surprise. It has invested heavily in Gilgit and Baltistan and is in a peculiar position today. By demanding the restoration of special status under Article 370 to Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has also challenged the occupation of Aksai Chin by China. This move thus makes the Pakistani gift of 5,882 sq km of land in Shaksgam Valley to China illegal. The area is now known as Trans-Karakoram Tract of China. Though Pakistan has supported separatism and sponsored terrorism in Kashmir, this unstated policy now becomes a confessional statement of interference in other country's essentially internal matter in the view of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his ministers batting for restoration of an Indian law in an Indian state!

THE ECONOMY IS NOT GROWING BECAUSE OF OUR MINDSET

We are no more the fastest growing economy in the world. Growing at 5% and slowing down in 5 successive quarters, we are way behind even Bangladesh, which is growing at 8% today! So where did our growth engine get derailed? The nearly absent opposition will say it was when we crossed the stations of demonetization and then G.S.T. The government will tell you it is a global slowdown and we cannot remain insulated. They are both lying and they know it. The cash crunch of demonetization era is long gone and there is no dearth of available cash now. And if the U.S elephant of an economy with a much higher base can grow at 3% then where is the global slowdown? Why can’t the much smaller Indian economy be quick and nimble as a deer? Why should investors take the risk of unnecessary government interference, whimsical and ever changing rates and rules of taxation, unfavorable land acquisition and labour laws for that extra 2%?

We started the business of Make in India with so much fanfare, so why is the manufacturing sector in doldrums? It is so because of the mindset of our successive governments. Yes, successive governments, because nothing has changed. We were in the Nehruvian left of centre before 2014 and we have moved to Modian further left of centre today. Profit was sin then and it remains so even now. That is why it is taxed mindlessly so that the government can finance most fancied welfare schemes and waive farm loans annually. In the last seven decades it has failed to realize that if the entrepreneur does not plough his/her profit back in business, the latter will not grow, will not employ more people, will not manufacture more and remain competitive for export.

When Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong are bringing down taxes to attract business we have 28% GST on hotels and cars and then wonder why the tourism and automobile sector are not picking up and why are FDIs not deluging these sectors? The fact of the matter is that our every government is uncomfortable if the investor makes a profit and a new tax is legislated to grab a disproportionate share of that. So why should they Make in India? In the business world taxation is inversely proportionate to growth and employment.

The health sector is an excellent example of government mismanagement. Government hospitals are few and far between, poorly staffed, ill equipped and on the brink of collapse because of the patient load. Till very recently the small and medium non-corporate private hospitals were filling up the void and offering affordable healthcare to the poor. These were small set ups with modest facilities and so were affordable. The government targeted them with a ton of rules and regulations – accreditation, facility standardization, fire norms, waste management regulations, labour laws……you name it. The judiciary went hammer and tongs against the doctors adjudicating penalties and fines in crores. Little did they realize that ‘best’ is the worst enemy of ‘good’, and the once affordable hospital and doctor became expensive and out of reach of the poor. When the court opines that you must have an I.C.U to perform surgery then many small nursing homes can either exist at the mercy of a license raj or shut down. These doctors went to work in the corporate hospitals but their patients, who cannot afford these hospitals, were left high and dry! So the doctor survived but the entrepreneur in him/her died and so did countless jobs created by them.

This is a government elected with an overwhelming majority and so as it should be in a democracy, I will take the liberty to presume that its decisions are the will of the people. By this logic I have to say that we in India are anti success, anti achiever, anti wealth creation and thereby anti investor. FDIs will only flow in when they will have no other option. We are to them an unpredictable oasis and not a freely flowing big river. When local investors find it difficult to negotiate the talent crunch, the skill deficit, the labour laws, the land acquisition laws and the unpredictable maize of taxation, the foreign investor has to be truly out of his mind to fight the third world problems and invest in India.

The achievers, the rich, the industrialist and the capitalist and the entrepreneurs are the engines of our growth. We cannot expect to rein them in, cut them to size, make them anaemic by taxing them and hope to gallop along the highway of growth. This will only slow down our economy and it has. The fourth industrial revolution has already arrived and China has leapfrogged into pole position because they have invested in education and health. We need to emulate them and if Modi 1.0 was about cleanliness, roads, cooking gas, housing and electricity, let Modi 2.0 be about education reforms, labour reforms, land reforms, lower taxation and encouraging entrepreneurship.     

The government has to realize that in a growing economy the rich will get richer; that is not bad because it will ensure growth and employment and make the poor richer too. By indiscriminate taxation and unfriendly regulations the rich are surely getting poorer and have no money left to employ the poor!