Reflecting on history, Leonard Woolf’s poignant words in 1967 resonate profoundly: timely actions could have averted much of the suffering that accompanied India’s delayed but inevitable independence. Today, I contend that India stands at a similar juncture, facing a crucial need for five long-overdue economic reforms to ignite the creation of 200 million new formal jobs, essential for our nation’s prosperity.
The landscape confronting India in 2020 markedly differs from that encountered by China in 1978. With companies prioritizing proximity to consumers for agile responsiveness, the allure of cheap labour diminishes amid the rise of automation. Dietrich Vollrath’s book, “Fully Grown,” underscores that in advanced economies, a growth slowdown signifies progress. Factors such as research, design, and maintenance now eclipse mere production in significance. Concurrently, political trends globally reflect a growing scepticism towards trade and immigration, shaping a new era of globalization characterized by nuanced complexities and shifting supply chain dynamics.
In this evolving paradigm, five critical reforms beckon for India’s attention:
- Labour Law Reform: Addressing the imbalance between labour and capital is paramount. Urgent reforms encompass wage adjustments to bridge the gap between gross and net incomes, streamlining social security measures such as ESI and EPFO, and consolidating employment laws into a unified code. The envisioned outcome: a significant uptick in formal employment, targeting a 50% increase.
- Public Sector Bank Reform: Enhancing India’s credit-to-GDP ratio necessitates reforms in three key areas: bolstered regulatory oversight by the RBI, fostering competition through private-sector banks, and revamping governance and human resources in public sector banks. Despite recent capital infusions, the inefficiencies that persist within state-owned banks impede growth, underscoring the imperative for change. Targeted outcomes include doubling the Credit to GDP ratio, and fostering higher growth and productivity among MSMEs.
- Higher Education Reform: Tackling deficiencies in higher education demands a multifaceted approach. Efforts should expand enrollment ratios to 50%, integrate vocational training with academic pursuits, and foster innovation within educational frameworks. The anticipated dividends include reduced graduate unemployability, accompanied by enhanced wage levels and productivity.
- Ease-of-Doing Business Reform: Streamlining India’s labyrinthine regulatory landscape, characterized by an overwhelming array of compliance requirements, filings, and annual alterations, is essential. Rationalizing, digitizing, and simplifying processes are imperative to alleviate enterprises’ burdens, promote compliance, and foster a conducive business environment. Envisaged outcomes encompass a reduction in total enterprises coupled with a surge in social security-contributing entities.
- Central Government Structural Reform: Rationalizing the bureaucratic apparatus at the central level is imperative. With an excessively bloated roster of ministries and a disproportionate concentration of authority in Delhi, devolution of powers to state capitals is overdue. Additionally, reforms within the Civil Services, including performance management enhancements and lateral entry schemes, are essential to optimize efficiency and effectiveness. The intended outcome: a leaner, more agile state apparatus primed for human capital development and productivity-driven growth.
While past reforms have undeniably propelled India’s economic trajectory, the journey remains incomplete. As Montek Ahluwalia aptly notes, sustained growth should cascade down like mountain rains, nourishing every stratum of society. Fulfilling this vision necessitates swift action on the outlined reforms to unlock opportunities for the millions clamouring for inclusion in India’s economic narrative.
Just as the British Empire’s decline stemmed from complacency, India’s ascent hinges on audacity and vision. Embracing risk and dreaming big are hallmarks of burgeoning nations. Nobel Laureate Paul Romer’s “conditional optimism” concept encapsulates the global sentiment toward India’s potential. It is incumbent upon us to transcend this conditionality through bold, decisive action. The untenable and inequitable economic status quo demands nothing less.
