Future of Uttarakhand

These are the views of Mr. Kailash Joshi on “Future of Uttarakhand” (then Uttaranchal). He expressed his views in the year 2004 after visiting India.

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Very recently, I had the occasion to spend some time in the new state of Uttaranchal, India, particularly in the districts of Dehradun and Pauri. The beautiful Garhwal region of the state holds special value for me, as I was born and raised there. I had left the area at the age of 15 to go to college and subsequently to the US, where I have lived for over 40 years. However, I have maintained close connections with India and my native region of Garhwal throughout these years.

Uttaranchal currently lags India by 3% in growth terms, since it shows a growth rate of 5-5.5% as compared with the Indian growth rate of 8-8.5%. One therefore asks why Uttaranchal with its natural beauty, rich resources, relatively high literacy rate, and positive law and order environment is not able to grow at India’s rate. The simple answer is that the state is not focused on economic growth. However, a deeper analysis of the poor economic performance of Uttaranchal brings out several factors.

During my two-month visit, I also traveled through other parts of India, and met people from all walks of life. I was therefore able to make comparis ons between the various regions of the country. It became clear that as India moves in the direction of rapid development, the ability of each state to participate in various opportunities will depend on several environmental and readiness factors. The primary attribute that will attract jobs and investments are: the quality of the infrastructure, soundness of Governmental policies, skills of the work force, and physical attraction and security of the region.

Uttaranchal currently lags India by 3% in growth terms, since it shows a growth rate of 5-5.5% as compared with the Indian growth rate of 8-8.5%. One therefore asks why Uttaranchal with its natural beauty, rich resources, relatively high literacy rate, and positive law and order environment is not able to grow at India’s rate. The simple answer is that the state is not focused on economic growth. However, a deeper analysis of the poor economic performance of Uttaranchal brings out several factors.

First, starting with the legacy of neglect of Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal has not been blessed with dynamic and forward-looking leadership. Petty, divisive, and corrupt politics continues to consume everyone and it deprives the people from participating in economic development of the area with unity of purpose. The second factor is the neglect of education, this despite the great reputation of some of the schools in the region. One only needs to go to the colleges and universities to realize that the teachers and students alike are neither equipped with today’s technology nor are they challenged in any way to perform better. Most college campuses are not wired for Internet, e-mail access, or remote learning and most students lack the very basis skills of computer use. The third factor is that the use of English language seems to have just about vanished, as teachers and students find the use of Hindi more convenient. It appears that the recent politics of India, in pursuit of votes, is keeping people from modernity. I say this because I have not met anyone who can speak English and still living below the poverty line in India. This lack of English has cut off the flow of current knowledge to these colleges, as Hindi texts and periodicals are relatively limited in numbers. More importantly, the career opportunities and mobility for further education are severely limited for these youth, as they cannot compete for a large numbers of good jobs with their peers from other parts of India and the world. The fourth important factor relates to a lack of education and support for entrepreneurs. From my estimates, Uttaranchal needs to create over 60,000 well paying jobs in the private sector each year, if it is to attain the growth rates compatible with the expected 8% or better rate for India as a nation. For Uttaranchal, these jobs are expected to be in tourism, energy, agro- products, and knowledge based industries such as IT and biotech. Therefore, it becomes important that Uttaranchal is able to attract investments and also create a positive business environment, a dynamic work force, and support system for the entrepreneurs of the future from within its youth population.

With the above background, it becomes obvious that the state needs to insure that its education system is providing the youth the basic skills to compete in the job markets. Alongside, it is equally important that a healthy and supportive environment for entrepreneurship exists for those who want to be self-employed and wish to create jobs and wealth for themselves and the society at large. In this regard, identification of specific entrepreneurial opportunities also becomes essential.

With the above background, I see a need for the following specific actions on the part of the Uttaranchal Government, private sector and all concerned individuals:

1. Provide facilities for mandatory computer skill development to all high school and college students:

In today’s environment, no education is complete without basic facility with the use of computers. Skills such as keyboarding, e-mail, Internet access, and use of simple computer applications are essential for jobs ranging from retail to various services. In addition to demanding adequate computer education in their schools, parents need to arrange loans for the purchase computers for their homes. This will prove to be one of the most important investments, as it will directly benefit the children in preparing them for both their further education and career opportunities.

2. Require that English language is properly taught at all education levels:

The reality is that one can hardly find anyone in India who speaks English and is still lives below the poverty line. That is because the use of English increases one’s ability to reach wider job markets and vaster information base. English language is also an essential skill required for most of the knowledge-based jobs in India and overseas countries. Depriving children the learning of English language in both written and spoken forms is therefore a gross injustice, as it substantially reduces their chances of success in higher education and career opportunities. It is therefore important that the school and college education systems are fully equipped to provide compulsory teaching of English to all students throughout their studies.

3. Create a supportive and encouraging environment for entrepreneurs:

Historically, the people of Uttaranchal, particularly those from the hill areas, have preferred Government jobs for life, which offer relatively lower income, but an easy life style. With increasing pressures on central and state Governments to reduce expenditures and to move towards privatization of public sector undertakings, such jobs are now on a decline. On the other hand, significant opportunities are becoming available in the private sector for new jobs and for entrepreneurial opportunities. This is because Indian market for goods and services is expanding and at the same time India is becoming a preferred destination for hundreds of thousands of jobs from the US and other countries. These changes have also brought with them a new wave of opportunities for self-employment and creation of small and medium ventures for those who aspire to be entrepreneurs. For entrepreneurs to succeed, a supportive and nurturing environment needs to be created by responsible Governments. This includes financial incentives, proper infrastructure, availability of start-up funds from banks and other financial institutions. With the creation of new jobs, the prosperity of the state will increase and the Government will benefit from the taxes from business, individuals, and consumption. Making the entrepreneur support system corruption-free will prove challenging, but feasible with due vigilance and safeguards.

4. Identify specific business opportunities for entrepreneurs in Uttaranchal

There are a host of products, distributions, and services related opportunities for small and medium scale ventures in Uttaranchal. Since there is a general lack of awareness of what one can do and how one goes about pursuing these opportunities, there is total absence of private enterprise within Uttaranchal. Aggregation of agro- products, Internet kiosks, tele-medicine, tourism and adventure related undertakings, micro hydroelectric projects and a host of other possibilities are broadly described in Government propaganda, there are no attempts to peel these onions further so aspiring entrepreneurs can take the first step. Once such interest sprouts, the entrepreneurs can also become part of various mentoring networks, such as TiE (www.tie.org), a global organization that is ready to connect wherever there is entrepreneurial energy.

In summary, the Government and people of Uttaranchal, and those who wish to help the state, need to recognize that the future development and prosperity of the state will directly depend on the success of their youth. Insuring that they are equipped with the right skills, and that for many of them entrepreneurship becomes possible will lead to both job-and- wealth creation for individuals and the state. If the state can create a skilled and dynamic work force of youth, the tax-payer population will increase and all kinds of investments and business opportunities will knock on the door. Neglect of the youth and the resulting unemployment will decidedly lead to disruptions and social unrest in the entire region. For example, one can imagine how a large population of unemployable youth can conceivably connect-up with the unrest of Nepal.

I happen to think rather strongly that the non-resident Uttaranchalis can and should indeed make some difference by mobilizing a progressive agenda for the development of the state.

Possible role of NRUs?

I happen to think rather strongly that the non-resident Uttaranchalis can and should indeed make some difference by mobilizing a progressive agenda for the development of the state. I say so because during my visit I gave an interview to Times of India that was highly critical of the Government and citizens of Utttaranchal, in regards to the lack of visible development and absence of public debates on the performance of the Government. Upon reading the interview, both the Governor and Chief Minister invited me to get a fuller view of my concerns.

After many hours of healthy discussions with the Governor, Chief Minister, and some of the secretaries, there seemed to be a general agreement on the urgent need to expedite the construction of a modern airport at Dehradun, adaptation of a clean-up process for all Uttaranchal cities, such as being practiced by Hyderabad, looking at the Kerala tourism model for building a theme etc. They also assured me that English language was now required at all schools and that computers had been supplied to all high schools. The IT secretary, Mr. Sinha further assured me that the college campuses are in the process of being wired and that they will complete the task within six months.

As a private effort, I built two computer learning centers near Dehradun for underprivileged children and have given the state an offer of curriculum software for 300 of the schools. This work is done through American India Foundation (www.aifoundation.org ), of which I am a co-founder and trustee. . I plan to work with the state’s IT secretary in this area.

I am sharing this with the readers to let them know that I did find healthy receptivity among responsible officials for NRU views. I also think that any such views and proposals need to be hard- hitting and based on solid facts. Also, one needs to make sure that those carrying these messages are not engaged in partisan politics of the state, nor should any such proposal be motivated or driven by the objectives of self- enrichment.

Finally, I would like to point out that NRUs with passion for Uttaranchal can readily connect with the state through successful NGOs, budding entrepreneurs, universities, and colleges or investments in some ventures.

I have also proposed to some friends that during the fall each year there should be a public/private Uttaranchal International Conference to discuss the progress and priorities of the state. With video conferencing at all district headquarters, there can be a broad participation in such a conference. There is also an opportunity to remotely deliver a distinguished lecture series at all major campus. The possibility of mentoring entrepreneurs remotely can also be realized. There is also a scholarship program in Silicon Valley that awards deserving poor Indian students significant scholarships, if there are qualified coordinators dedicated to the state.   I have decided to work on some of these ideas and would welcome others who can join and commit some energy to one or more of these efforts. I can be contacted by e-mail.  

Thanks!

[If any one requires the e-mail id of Mr. Kailash Joshi. Please write a mail to admin@merapahad.com]

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