Ravinder Singh elaborates on the merits of Suresh Prabhu's comment that Japan should develop Bihar within SEZ framework.

In most developed democratic countries there is a tradition for opposition to nominate “Shadow Ministers” who are specially chosen to compete with the in power rivals. This makes sure no mediocre or lunatic gets to become a cabinet minister.

India does not follow this time tested democratic practice. Even our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was not a shadow Finance Minister before Narsimha Rao government and Shadow PM when NDA was in power.

And we have not just majority of criminals and swindlers but most of the MP are absolute mediocre.

One MP after 5-6 visits to Japan opined that Indian technologists must learn Japanese language for they conduct all high-tech work in Japanese language, none of the Indian delegates owning companies in India ever told him that all the technologies in the world are available on the net in millions of patent files.

Such is the poor caliber of not just a MP but also the delegation in terms of technology that didn’t know that technology is described in patents.

Suresh Prabhu though was supportive of my stand that India should stop promoting “Garbage Technologies Or BPO” kind of jobs.

Suresh Prabhu at last has realized that India must own Intellectual Property. It was a departure from the foolish India that “Indians Don’t Need Intellectual Property of Arun Meira”, MD Boston Consulting India.

Suresh Prabhu was also foolish in supporting SEZ policy of the government though majority of industry perceive SEZ as real estate program to loot Indians but Suresh Prabhu doesn’t realize that Japanese industry don’t 1,35,000 hectare of SEZ. Actually high-tech Japanese industries need very little space.

The perception of some others too were that poor Indian economic performance is due to poor infrastructure.

A developing nation can’t afford “Hit and Trial” policies of the mediocre. The world as a whole is developing fast due to easy flow of men, money and technologies in present globalize world.

Members of Parliament overlooked Indians are engaged in R&D projects for multinationals and many more have own high-tech companies but GOI has at present no place for them in India and is not promoting them. 

Important; In present globalize world the countries that are corrupt and governed by mediocre shall be left behind in the race of development.

Not only India has to promote R&D companies but must be led by R&D experts at all times. Technologies go on improving and evolving thus R&D is a continuous exercise in any competitive industry. 

Any number of petitions could not trigger Suresh Prabhu’s wisdom cells of his brains. He could not explain wasting $150b Riverlinking for transferring just 2% of India’s water resources when there scores of virtually no cost options like improved storage that avoids wastages, better seeds that produce 50% more food for given water resources and using Ganga Water in Ganga Basin itself and exporting 30 Million Tons of food than 50 billion tons of water.

It was amateurish to expect some one else to train us when Indian companies by and large have no desire to learn and have no plans to create permanent R&D facilities.

When I failed for five year to make him realize that foolishness of Riverlink projects and capital required for storage, mechanization, processing etc as priority, message Japan gets is that Indians have no learning ability.

Therefore I strongly recommend that only technical experts should negotiate technology issues only then Japan will be convinced of seriousness of Indians to adopt and absorb high technology.

Nationalized Banks must give 10% of all bank credits to High-tech companies who preferably have taken patents.

From Dhoti wearing India has progressed to Golf playing industrialists but to impress Japan or any developed countries Indian industrialists must work on the shop floor to learn about the technologies and processes.

Ravinder Singh December06, 2006