It is India's moment on the world stage now. Our leaders can seize it and build a great nation; or squander it forever
On February 26, a rare confluence of events took place. As Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the Union Budget, the stock market started rising. The benchmark Sensex remained high even after he re-imposed taxes and duties he had withdrawn last year to help the economy out of a slowdown.
There’s clearly a lot at stake. Farmers are the biggest vote bank in India and that makes policymaking for this segment extremely tricky. Governments must tread carefully while restructuring this sector, vital for the long-term economic and food security of the country.
Urban Inertia
(This story appears in the 19 March, 2010 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)