India must contend with Bangladesh first before competing with the US and China

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Complex problems require many minds. Leadership is important but mostly regarding giving direction. The solutions ought to be produced by those implementing, not the individual directing. If that is reversed, progress won't to be produced and generally what results is retardation.

For solutions to be produced below the amount of leadership, it's important that there be some devolution of authority and power. Such isn't the case in India of our times. The leadership of this large and complex nation is centralised in a way that it has never experienced our history. There are several parallels with Indira Gandhi but the 1970s was another world.
 
Some of the most important positions in the Cabinet are filled by those who have never won an election. The finance minister, foreign minister, railways and commerce and industry minister-- do not require are elected. The prior finance minister was also unelected.

They owe their position never to personal political popularity but to the patronage of Modi. They can not defy him and they'll do what he says. That is why they have in fact been chosen and located there. The moment they defy or question, they will be replaced by somebody who could keep their mouth shut but keep their job. There is absolutely no devolution of authority and none of accountability.

When things get started to go wrong in such a place, the leader cannot be blamed and even named. It will be assumed that he's right and the perfect solution is lies not in correcting his behaviour but in something else.

A couple weeks ago, there is this headline in the online publication The Print: "Modi govt plans media blitz for ‘image correction’ to improve India rank on global lists”. It reported that the government was trying to boost India’s ranking on some 30 global indices by "creating a massive publicity campaign” that was a "planned perception-overhaul exercise”.

These indices are those which monitor religious, economic, political, media freedoms, the rule of law, innovation, terrorism and other activities. Either data is compiled or global professionals are asked because of their perceptions and then countries given a score or rating.

A number of these are compiled by bodies that are multilateral, including the World Bank or the US. It isn't clear how India are certain to get its poor ratings improved through a media campaign with regards to such bodies or when it comes to hard data.

For example, India is ranked 142 on the World Press Freedom Index, falling from 140 in 2019 and 138 in 2018. The main reason for its falling is the violence against journalists and the number of internet shutdowns in Kashmir. These are objective things that are measurable. They can not be corrected by publicity campaigns.

This season India has introduced a new media policy in Kashmir which has more or less throttled all freedom of media in that state.
The government’s response in the instance of the media index was to create its ‘Index Monitoring Cell’ which could have journalists like Rajat Sharma (of Aap ki Adalat fame). Not much has been heard from this cell since and it will not affect the global rating. India’s ranking in press freedom is not going to improve globally next year either and investing in marketing an image that is removed from the truth is neither wise nor will it be effective.

India’s numbers on COVID are self-declared. These are government numbers. They are able to and they'll be compared to how India is doing versus all of those other world and particularly the rest of South Asia with which an honest comparison could be made. On infections and fatalities, our performance is below the others. A media blitz will not correct the perception that India has been minimal competent in addressing the problem because the perception is based on reality.

This week has come news that in today's financial year, Bangladesh will overtake India when it comes to per capita income. And therefore the common Bangladesh’s income could be more than the average Indian’s. Even to those who find themselves known as Modi haters, this was shocking. It had been not expected because India was far before Bangladesh in conditions of per capita income in 2014.
One reason behind their overtaking us is that the Bangladeshi leadership handled the COVID hit with their economy better.

The other reason is that within the last six years, Bangladesh has been growing much faster than India. It would have overtaken us anyway in span of time. The COVID fall just managed to get sooner. It's been a long slide which has not been in the general public realm since the leader will not acknowledge it and the minions cannot speak.

It appears like we were talking about competing with China and the US just a few years ago. Now we must first compete with Bangladesh. This is not what we'd been promised.

How will this be corrected by a media blitz?
It will not.
But it is what the fantastic man has ordered so that it will be done.
The slide will continue, the noise about achche din may also continue.
Source: https://www.nationalheraldindia.com

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