India, 79 years young, has more to achieve
letters@scmp.com or filling in
this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification
India is celebrating its 79th birthday this month. Its economy could soon overtake Japan's as the fourth largest in the world. This progress should trickle down to everyone in the country. Rural clinics need to be better equipped and staffed. Housing needs to be affordably priced; nobody should have to sleep in the open.
India needs to generate millions of jobs for its exploding young population. School and university education needs to be more job-oriented. Everyone wants to specialise in information technology, but a country needs manufacturing and medical skills too. We also need clarity about the areas in which artificial intelligence can improve productivity – 'AI' should not just be a buzzword.
Indians should guard against celebrity worship. Whatever film and sports stars are wearing and eating should not be more important than our own lives. Respect knowledge, not sensationalism.
The young need to be reading more books and spending less time on digital apps. Indians ought to exercise more to keep obesity at bay. Let's rediscover the joy of long walks in the mountains, among trees and flowers.
These are my many hopes for India. If we fulfil even a few in the next decade, it will be a productive journey.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
29 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
China-India ties are warming rapidly in the heat of US trade war
India and China have come a long way towards mending ties that took a sharp turn for the worse with a deadly clash on their shared border five years ago. The nations took important steps towards restoring their relationship this week during a visit to New Delhi by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang and his Indian hosts addressed urgent issues that have kept the world's two most populous countries at odds at a critical time. Beijing and New Delhi both face a daunting trade war with the United States. That reality seems to have added urgency to the diplomatic moves. The thaw in relations was underscored by Wang being welcomed on Tuesday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bending the usual protocol reflected the importance New Delhi placed on the top diplomat's visit and mission. Wang conveyed personal greetings from President Xi Jinping, who last met Modi on the sidelines of October's Brics summit in Kazan, Russia. Modi said progress towards improving ties has since been 'steady' and he looked forward to seeing Xi in Shanghai. In a social media post, Modi said stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China would 'contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity'. The Indian leader has confirmed he will join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit at the end of the month. It will be Modi's first trip to China in seven years . Modi may also travel to Beijing for a military parade marking the end of World War II. In New Delhi, Wang also held talks on the border dispute with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The pair agreed to create an 'expert group' to explore prioritising the settlement of disputes in less-contentious sectors. Agreements were reached on resuming direct flights and business links. Also discussed were plans to explore trade cooperation, particularly in strategic sectors such as rare earths, people-to-people contact, the sharing of river data and connectivity.
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Is the PHL16 multiple rocket launcher China's answer to the US Himars system?
As tensions intensify across the Taiwan Strait, Beijing has ramped up its firepower capacity to prepare for a possible war in the region. Advertisement One of the weapon systems key to these efforts is the PHL-16 , a truck-mounted self-propelled multiple rocket launcher (MRL) that incorporates modular design and long-range precision-strike capabilities. Development and design The PHL-16 – also known as PCL-191 and regarded as China's most advanced MRL system – was developed by Chinese ground-based weapons manufacturer Norinco. China's new-generation long-range MRL system was first publicly unveiled during the 2019 military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump tariffs spark India-China reset, Chinese city's biotech dream: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP's biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing The world's two most-populous countries made significant progress on the diplomatic front recently, and those championing such moves may have Washington to thank. South China's Guangdong province has announced its ambition to join the country's race to expand its commercial space sector, promising financial and policy support for companies wanting to build low-orbit satellite constellation systems and promote their application in futuristic industries including space mining and space tourism. Ilustration: Brian Wang Could a city best known for its classical gardens and ancient canals emerge as China's answer to Boston – the global epicentre of biotechnology innovation?
