Just how did Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s much awaited Union Budget for 2011-2012 leave India Inc. feeling in the end? With the FM announcing a 9 per cent growth, the budget saw the Minister send a clear signal – coalition politics was not going to thwart the focus on reforms.
The FM’s ability to deliver on promised reforms has been in question for a while. India Inc.’s top brass in a research conducted by PSB South Asia & Bloomberg TV poll identified corruption, governance, high inflation, poor performance on infrastructure, rising subsidies and high fiscal deficit as some of their biggest concerns.
While the FM recognized weeding out of corruption as a major challenge, the absence of any concrete steps is clearly a disappointment for those who were looking for some `action’.
Friday evening, I saw in horror as a leading news channel (www.ibnlive.com) carry the story of racially motivated attacks against 4 Indian students in the last few days with 2 struggling for life. According to the news report, at least 70 students have been targets of racial attacks in the last 12 months alone!
Whilst, these actions do not reflect Australians in general and I have heard, seen and experienced their warmth, openness and friendship, actions of a few misguided individuals have to be condemned in the strongest possible manner. These bigots have to be apprehended, locked and the keys thrown away!
Sensing the public anguish, Dr. Manmohan Singh spoke to his Aussie counterpart besides summoning the Australian High Commissioner to the MEA to register our anguish. Stung by the tough talk, ‘racism intolerance’ motive was finally acknowledged by the Aussie Govt after being in denial. It has now assured strictest possible action against those Click to Read More
Ashwani Singla is the Managing Director and Chief Executive, South Asia of Penn Schoen Berland (www.psbresearch.in), a global research based communication advisory that specializes in messaging and communication strategy. His two decades of experience has seen him advise MNCs, Indian enterprises and the emerging Indian MNCs across a wide range of sectors helping them negotiate some of their toughest communication challenges.
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