High Growth Overshadowed by Poverty and Low Education Access: Swraj Paul
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Better education and healthcare facilities are a must for productivity to go up. With 35 per cent people in India subsisting below one USD a day, the picture is very bleak, said Lord Swraj Paul. LORD SWRAJ Paul, Member of the House of Lords, UK and Chairman, Caparo Group, today described as ?unacceptable? the co-existence of high levels of growth recorded by the Indian economy with 35 per cent of its people subsisting on less a dollar a day and 35 per cent of the children not having access to primary education.
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In a special address at a FICCI function on ?Social and Structural Impediments to a Rapidly Growing India?, Lord Paul said: ? India is changing, the people are realizing their potential, their demands and expectations are rising, but what is lacking is a serious attempt at alleviating the lot of the poor.?
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Lord Paul said India must grapple with and find credible answers to the problems of educating its masses, proving healthcare facilities to them and tackling the menace of corruption.
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Citing figures, he said, the total number of Indians having higher education was a mere seven per cent, compared with 50 per cent in the UK and 47 per cent in G-8 countries. India, he said, compared unfavourably with even some of the African countries.
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“Without education and healthcare facilities, there is little chance of productivity going up,” Lord Paul said and pointed out, ” these are not the responsibilities of the government alone.” He advised the Indian business community to look at these twin social issues seriously as “your businesses stand to gain as productivity grows.”
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