By: Rudra Pandey and Indra Dhoj Kshetri


Twenty years ago, India was worst corrupt country. Politicians and businesspeople worked with each other for the mutual benefit, national interest sidelined. The license rule prevailed. Politicians dominated the businesspeople showing the fear of seizing their operating license. Politicians could also protect the illegal and unfair conducts. As they made unfair conduct, businesspeople paid a large amount of money as donation to the political parties and leaders to secure their license. On return, businesspeople threatened the politicians of withdrawing the support or not paying the donation, if the politicians didn't conduct at their interest. Donation drive was the principal feature of Indian economy. This scenario is still portrayed by many Indian films. This was once a very common reality.

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http://www.everestuncensored.org/archives/2006/09/fair_business_fair_politics.html#more

Not that more proof of India's growing prosperity is needed, but my favorite example of how far India has come, is measured by the experience I had the last time I flew into Delhi compared to what it was like to fly to Delhi 10 or 15 years ago. I was pleasantly suprised at how much more simple customs and immigration have become. With the dismantling of the licence raj, the liberalization of trade, and the advent of a consumerist economy, India has indeed come a long way in all aspects of life, certainly much further than we have gone in Nepal.

That is not to say that India does not have its share of problems and it is still, at the end of the day, a very developing country. However, like the write of the article above pointed out, there are lots of lessons we in Nepal can learn from India. One important one, in my opinion, is that investment in education may take a long time to yield returns, but when it does, the dividends are very high.

Just a thought.