Make Tourism the next (foreign) money spinner
There is however one other key element that will need some attention to be turned into gold. Tourism. Despite all hue & cry by all politically interested people, very little has been done in this area. India, like its vastly talented people, has diverse, most scenic, culturally fulfilling locations all of which can easily be sold to the foreigners for that extra bit of moolah. I have visited several countries and have found that most of these countries do not have 5% of the riches of India, yet they make much greater returns from Tourism than our vastly beautiful country. Take for example, Thailand, Dubai, Austria, Netherlands, Jordan, Egypt etc. No one can ever match the diversity that India can provide from the vast coastal beaches, the beautiful ghats, the historical monuments, architecturally wonderful temples, mosques, churches.. no, I havent come across another country with such resources. Add to that friendly people. We wont lose anything by letting foreigners visit us for a week or a month, enjoy its beauty and return!
With tourism, every other sector prospers - air travel, transportation (bus/train/taxi/cab), hotels, restaurants, food & beverages, banking, exchanges - even visa fees to government!
Seeing people known to me at one time or the other (NN for smartcard, TNM as Satyam director etc) getting involved in such nation-building responsibilities, I feel I can contribute with valuable advice in this area for the country to prosper. Though this will require an honest, passionate and professional approach by the bureaucracy and significant infrastructural development coupled with NO political interference.
Its a multi billion dollar industry, yet not fully tapped.
What do readers think?
