Is India Land Of Billion Opportunities?

Making a strong pitch for economic optimism, speakers at a high-profile event at the elite London School of Economics here said India, "a land of a billion opportunities", had a potential to achieve double digit growth rate.

Hosted by LSE's India Observatory, the event included release of Rajya Sabha MP and economist N K Singh's book 'Not by Reason Alone: The Politics of Change' by Shobhana Bhartia, chairman of HT Media, and an engaging panel discussion and interaction with students.

The panel included Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, Lord Meghnad Desai, LSE-based economist and academic, Lord Chris Patten, chancellor of the University of Oxford, and Lord Nicholas Stern, I G Patel professor of Economics & Government at LSE.

In the book, Singh, who has played a key role in India's economic reforms, draws on his diverse experiences to comment on the past and present of the politics of change. He said good politics led to good economics and mentioned the unprecedented 11.03 per cent rate of growth recorded by Bihar in the latest official estimates.

"I see India as a land of a billion opportunities, not a land of a billion problems. Lot of good things are happening. We should be optimistic," Ambani said. Compared to other recession-hit countries, India had 'less baggage' and a 'strong balance sheet', and was in a 'great position' to start off, he said.

"We need more responsible government, a change of governance, and build more institutions. India is in a fortunate position compared to the rest of the world. We have less baggage, a young population. India's strength is all about soft power," he said.