What do we need to become a developed nation.

[yoda]

We are doing fine. Few things set us back and now we are moving in the right direction. First the British ******ed us for over 200 years, then the Congress party kept us back with it's protectionist policies for 40 years. One thing we really need if we are going to "leap-frog" is enforcing the law to the T, be it wrt taxes, corruption, corporate fraud or government functioning. Given that we haven't changed much in 50 years of independence shows that subverting the law will always be with us and the country has to progress carrying that baggage.

[EnterTheVoid]

Take Israel for example. Despite the hostile environment' date= the country has seen its economy grow like 50 folds since 1940s! It has become the prime R&D center of the world. Countries like Microsoft, Google, Intel, etc rely heavily on their Israeli operations for mission critical work and innovation. Although Israel is in a constant state of war, foreign companies invest heavily in Israel because they believe in Israel's capability to get things done despite odds. Intel's Israeli operations captures the spirit of Israelis' commitment to their nation and commitment to succeed despite odds. During Gulf War, when Saddam was firing Skuds in to Israel, the Intel operations continued manufacture chips! The workers were not required to work during the war but they continued to do so because they feared that if they didn't foreign companies could stop investing in Israel out of fear of work getting stalled during conflicts. The Intel Israeli workers are said to have done conference calls with Gas Masks on when the sirens sounded. During the 2006 Lebanon War, Incar managed to full its worldwide customer orders on time working with like 50% staff in rotation! It is like the way of that nation telling that no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to stall our progress.

Israel, the size of New Jersey, since 1949 has received $ 100 billion dollars from the U.S. in the form of foreign aid, most of it military aid, state of the art weapons / planes etc.

[Clarke]

India needs more RELIGION! We have lost our way and GOD is angry with us for not following the path he showed us Oh wait, this is icf

[zen]

Israel' date=' the size of New Jersey, since 1949 has received $ 100 billion dollars from the U.S. in the form of foreign aid, most of it military aid, state of the art weapons / planes etc.[/quote'] I would say (assume) Israel needed every cent of that because of the unnecessary pressure it has to try to exist in such a hostile environment. Israeli defense force has also gone on to become one of the most advanced in the world. The technology training that the Defense Forces provide is one of the best in the world and after the military service, many Israelis have gone on to start technology related start ups Since you bolded the economy part to make that statement, I have to ask if you are trying to make a connection b/w military aid and its 50 folds economic growth. Because despite the military aid (which would have helped no doubt), Israel faced many other challenges which tried to stall its economic growth like the Arab Trade Boycott, which basically meant that if a company did business with Israel, it wouldn't be well accepted in the Arab World. In between that it (Israel) also had to go through some of the worst periods in its economic history for example when the inflation was threatening to reach four digits percentage points It was the 1990s that probably started to see the process of 'leap-frogging' in Israel. What helped fuel the growth are factors like the internet revolution which enabled Israelis to reach out to different corners of the world and cater to their expertise in technology, the wave of Russian immigrants (post cold war) that brought in tons of Russian scientist and engineers, whose skills could be utilized by the growing technology sector, the reforms in economic policies by the government, and ofc the flow of foreign investment and venture capital funds, which helped Israeli entrepreneurs with their business ideas. Earlier foreign investors were shy to make huge commitments to Israel and understandably so because of the type of news you would get about Israel from Palestinian intifada to missiles being showered on it but Israelis through their commitment and skills have shown that such dangers do not stall their growth. As shown by Warren Buffet, the risk management guru, who acquired his first company outside of America in Israel. His logic in acquiring Iscar was that even if the plant gets bombed, Iscar can built another one. It's the talent of the employees (Israelis) and management, along with its loyal base of international customer base and Iscar's brand that represents its true value. And what formed that opinion was unmistakeably the unique spirit and talent of those in Israel

[Zelig]

Abstain from sex. Virgins FTW:beach: *ends trolling & leaves

[EnterTheVoid]

I would say (assume) Israel needed every cent of that because of the unnecessary pressure it has to try to exist in such a hostile environment. Israeli defense force has also gone on to become one of the most advanced in the world. The technology training that the Defense Forces provide is one of the best in the world and after the military service, many Israelis have gone on to start technology related start ups Since you bolded the economy part to make that statement, I have to ask if you are trying to make a connection b/w military aid and its 50 folds economic growth. Because despite the military aid (which would have helped no doubt), Israel faced many other challenges which tried to stall its economic growth like the Arab Trade Boycott, which basically meant that if a company did business with Israel, it wouldn't be well accepted in the Arab World. In between that it (Israel) also had to go through some of the worst periods in its economic history for example when the inflation was threatening to reach four digits percentage points It was the 1990s that probably started to see the process of 'leap-frogging' in Israel. What helped fuel the growth are factors like the internet revolution which enabled Israelis to reach out to different corners of the world and cater to their expertise in technology, the wave of Russian immigrants (post cold war) that brought in tons of Russian scientist and engineers, whose skills could be utilized by the growing technology sector, the reforms in economic policies by the government, and ofc the flow of foreign investment and venture capital funds, which helped Israeli entrepreneurs with their business ideas. Earlier foreign investors were shy to make huge commitments to Israel and understandably so because of the type of news you would get about Israel from Palestinian intifada to missiles being showered on it but Israelis through their commitment and skills have shown that such dangers do not stall their growth. As shown by Warren Buffet, the risk management guru, who acquired his first company outside of America in Israel. His logic in acquiring Iscar was that even if the plant gets bombed, Iscar can built another one. It's the talent of the employees (Israelis) and management, along with its loyal base of international customer base and Iscar's brand that represents its true value. And what formed that opinion was unmistakeably the unique spirit and talent of those in Israel

But ultimately you needs friends, maintain some diplomatic relations, keep trade going. The Arabs can boycott Israel to their hearts content, but ultimately, it amounts to very little when you have someone like America who supports you through thick and thin. Notice how in that map, Israel is the only first world country in the middle east.

[zen]

But ultimately you needs friends, maintain some diplomatic relations, keep trade going. The Arabs can boycott Israel to their hearts content, but ultimately, it amounts to very little when you have someone like America who supports you through thick and thin. Notice how in that map, Israel is the only first world country in the middle east.

The point that if America (its govt) helps you can get through is attempts to answer a complex phenomena through a simple explanation (As Boycott would say 'even my Mom could say that') and undermines the huge negative effect Arab Trade Boycott had on Israel and the positive effect of the factors that also played key role in Israel's growth , esp the post 1990 part, along with Israelis' talent and commitment. Probably shows this is being discussed with wrong people But yeah, I see your point that support helps and countries like America can drive growth but that type of support esp through FDI and VC wasn't always available to Israelis. It only came through when people realized the potential in Israel. If non-USA companies on NASDAQ is anything to go by, Israeli companies top the list with 63, followed by Canada with 48. Japan has 6, Ireland 5, while India has 3 You have to read the whole post and make connections b/w different points being made. If you pick out a line and respond to it when the answer to that is already in the post you picked the line from then it probably shows (as I said before) this is being discussed with the wrong person. I have nothing much to gain except know that if America helps you can get through (something even Boycott's mom would probably say). With that I leave you with your opinion :regular_smile:

[Sir john]

hum do hamare do is best policy>

[Ramzz]

1. Have pre-marital Sex...like openly...:P 2. No more dry states 3. take out mortgages and drown yourself in debt :) On a more serious note, India needs to change quite a few things about itself. 1. The system/Sarkar...corruption is the root cause holding back India's progress. 2. Chalta hai attitudes...speaks for itself. 3. Too much dependence on religion, instead of education. 4. More transparency in everything govt related...implement the law as it should be done. I know that no country can be perfect...but at least India can make an attempt.

[straight.drive]

First of all we will have to admit that a developed India will be very different to a developed western nation or of the far east. Many of our "intellectuals" confuse Modernization with Westernization. In their books, India is developed only when we adopt all the ultra-liberal aspects of the west. Coming to the topic, we are on right course to development. The pace is already set and it looks unstoppable. I would concentrate on infrastructure. We have the most outdated infrastructure.

[DomainK]

1. Have pre-marital Sex...like openly...:P 2. No more dry states 3. take out mortgages and drown yourself in debt :) On a more serious note, India needs to change quite a few things about itself. 1. The system/Sarkar...corruption is the root cause holding back India's progress. 2. Chalta hai attitudes...speaks for itself. 3. Too much dependence on religion, instead of education. 4. More transparency in everything govt related...implement the law as it should be done. I know that no country can be perfect...but at least India can make an attempt.

Openly? Like on the roads, on the beaches, in restaurants etc?:woot:

[Ramzz]

Openly? Like on the roads' date=' on the beaches, in restaurants etc?:woot:[/quote'] Haha no. That is not allowed in a developed nation, if my knowledge is correct. I meant like...it shouldn't be a taboo anymore to be in a live in relationship.

[Zap_Brannigan]

The root of all the problems..uneducated masses who the politicians pander to. The whole pandering for votes needs to stop. 10 years ago, i had a heated argument with a friend on why India was better than China because every person matters. But now, i believe it is the worst thing to happen to India. We need to look at a completely new type of government which acts to better the country and people without pandering to the groups with the largest vote bank. Example : Population has to be controlled but doing anything to slide the constant farking would be unpopular with the poor people as they are the biggest farkers and politicians would lose their vote.

[Clarke]

Example : Population has to be controlled but doing anything to slide the constant farking would be unpopular with the poor people as they are the biggest farkers and politicians would lose their vote.

There are ideas proposed across the world to minimize those sort of weaknesses in a democracy, for instance term limits. When u have people contesting for 1-2 terms only, they will not have re-election as their #1 priority & vote banks will not be as effective a tool as they are these days. However, the effectiveness of these amendments are still dependent on the nature of the voting masses, which frankly isnt our strength.

[Zap_Brannigan]

There are ideas proposed across the world to minimize those sort of weaknesses in a democracy' date=' for instance term limits. When u have people contesting for 1-2 terms only, they will not have re-election as their #1 priority & vote banks will not be as effective a tool as they are these days. However, the effectiveness of these amendments are still dependent on the nature of the voting masses, which frankly isnt our strength.[/quote'] But when we have effectively only 2 parties, it does matter to the party leaders whether they get re-elected or not. Besides is our PM really the biggest man in the party or is it Sonia?

[Clarke]

But when we have effectively only 2 parties' date=' it does matter to the party leaders whether they get re-elected or not. Besides is our PM really the biggest man in the party or is it Sonia?[/quote'] My point being, re-election is a concern only when its a possibility. When a candidate is not allowed to run for the second term at all, will it bring out proper reform initiatives ? Or will it be a case of Lalu's daughters each seeking a term one after the other to serve as his proxies ? There are significant proposals in the area of political science to improve upon current democratic systems but their effectiveness cannot be guaranteed.

[Sir john]

good views,but give your point about poll obtion,that make thread worthy

[CricketGirl]

education!

[ViruRulez]

Virurulez as PM , Crictics as sports minister and BossBhai as defence minister On a serious note , a good leader who can cut down on corruption and yes test cricket

Thanks for nominating my name for the esteemed post :--D :hatsoff: On a serious note, I always and have always believed that education is the precursor to solving most problems .. so definitely education first but also a good and honest govt. for sure who is dedicated to development of the nation instead of looking after their own vote banks .. the govt. should also be tough and do what is right without giving a damn to what political results it might bring to their party

[ViruRulez]

Haha no. That is not allowed in a developed nation' date=' if my knowledge is correct. I meant like...it shouldn't be a taboo anymore to be in a live in relationship.[/quote'] I dont think live-in relationship is a taboo in the metros at least ... I have not seen it mentioned as a taboo at least on this date .. it is quite open in metros and even a lot of the celebrities are in live in relationships .. John-Bipasha is a good example but there are countless others and I also have many friends