Modi 2.0 must do something to improve ‘well-being’ of an ordinary Indian | The Indian Express

Modi 2.0 must do something to improve ‘well-being’ of an ordinary Indian | The Indian Express

Written by Bhaskar Chakravorti |Updated: June 20, 2019 8:44:28 am

The writer is Dean of Global Business at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, founding executive director of Fletcher’s Institute for Business in the Global Context. He is author of The Slow Pace of Fast Change

Modi 2.0 must do something to improve ‘well-being’ of an ordinary Indian

Whether you prefer to believe or dismiss Gallup, your WhatsApp feed or the government’s GDP figures, let us agree that the state of well-being of the ordinary Indian is far from ideal.

It is time to make a radical switch from quick-fix measures, catchy slogans or dangerous grand gestures — yes, I was thinking demonetisation — and embrace the complex systemic nature of the problems to be addressed, which has economics tangled with many other factors. (PTI)

The elections made one thing amply clear: It’s NOT the economy, stupid. Neither the lowest quarterly GDP growth in 20 quarters nor the highest unemployment rate in 45 years could put the brakes on Narendra Modi’s thunderous return to South Block. And now, with the election in the history books, it would be stupid not to do something about that economy.