Panaji: Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of “gram raj” is not realistic in the times we live in, union Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Shashi Tharoor said here on Friday.
Tharoor was participating in a question-answer session following his keynote address at the World Management Conference organised by a collective of the Indian Institutes of Management at a resort in Miramar on the outskirts of Panaji.
“There’s something not realistic about the notion of gram raj. The world is moving in a different direction,” Tharoor said.
“We are a much inter-dependant globe,” Tharoor said, adding that the idea of villages growing its own food and being self-sufficient may not be feasible in our lifetimes.
“It seems more improbable in the era of inter-dependence and globalisation. There is no realistic process of attainment,” the former UN official said.
Tharoor also said that he was not a “huge fan” of public sector undertakings.
“PSUs should be small and should be in areas which need public ownership,” Tharoor said, adding that what he expressed was a personal opinion.
The minister of state also said that he would like to see a fully privatised aviation sector.
‘Corruption major hindrance for businesses’: Meanwhile, Tharoor said corruption is a major hindrance for starting businesses in India.
“Corruption has become a factor, a consideration for starting businesses,” Tharoor said, adding that he had been hearing horrific stories about how corruption was discouraging business people from investing.
“It has become a disincentive for investors,” Tharoor said, adding that businesses were held up for “months if not years” if bribes were not paid to politicians or bureaucrats.
Tharoor was speaking during a question and answer session following his keynote address at the World Management Conference organised by a collective of the Indian Institutes of Management.
Corruption is emerging as one of the key issues for the UPA government at the centre ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The UPA government, of which Tharoor is a part, has been at the receiving end of corruption allegations after several ministers have been accused of mega scams in various sectors. (IANS)