Comments on: A Rational IT Policy: The Introductory Bits http://www.deeshaa.org/2009/03/16/a-rational-it-policy-the-introductory-bits/ Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:41:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: ghost_writer http://www.deeshaa.org/2009/03/16/a-rational-it-policy-the-introductory-bits/comment-page-1/#comment-139128 ghost_writer Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:50:59 +0000 http://www.deeshaa.org/?p=1883#comment-139128 Very well written Atanu (as always!). More power to your blog. If I can tackle this from another angle - providing tools and 2mbps connectivity by itself may not be a bad thing. What parties and the intellectual elites in India have failed to do is to explain how these tools and connectivity will solve the problems the poor face. For example, government school teacher absenteeism is a HUGE problem in India, which can be circumvented by connectivity and e-learning. This does not have to be anything fancy - simply recording the lessons that an urban kid receives in one of the fancy air-conditioned school in Delhi and relaying it over and over and over again to the not-so-fortunate (using tools and connectivity) will help. Or consider, digitizing government services to cut out middle men and touts; thus making government less corrupt. Of course – none of this will happen. In our system, these people are cynical enough to promise people toys that are of no use, and that never materialize in any case! Very well written Atanu (as always!). More power to your blog. If I can tackle this from another angle – providing tools and 2mbps connectivity by itself may not be a bad thing. What parties and the intellectual elites in India have failed to do is to explain how these tools and connectivity will solve the problems the poor face.
For example, government school teacher absenteeism is a HUGE problem in India, which can be circumvented by connectivity and e-learning. This does not have to be anything fancy – simply recording the lessons that an urban kid receives in one of the fancy air-conditioned school in Delhi and relaying it over and over and over again to the not-so-fortunate (using tools and connectivity) will help. Or consider, digitizing government services to cut out middle men and touts; thus making government less corrupt.
Of course – none of this will happen. In our system, these people are cynical enough to promise people toys that are of no use, and that never materialize in any case!

]]> By: AG http://www.deeshaa.org/2009/03/16/a-rational-it-policy-the-introductory-bits/comment-page-1/#comment-139080 AG Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:16:57 +0000 http://www.deeshaa.org/?p=1883#comment-139080 Superb. Superb.

]]> By: worldisgreen http://www.deeshaa.org/2009/03/16/a-rational-it-policy-the-introductory-bits/comment-page-1/#comment-139078 worldisgreen Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:21:11 +0000 http://www.deeshaa.org/?p=1883#comment-139078 Nice one. What you said about these industrialized countries being as poor as India a 100 years back is something which most people do not grasp. A lot of educated Indians that I meet in Australia just does not grasp the point that Australia was poor at one point. In fact, most people do not understand the dynamic nature of a economy and the power of compounded growth. Migrant Indians here mock at the fact that the Aussie kids here need calculators to do maths. That many students do not go to university. However, they cannot grasp the fact that they are still one of the most developed and richest countries in the world without all students educated at the university level. In fact, Australia's vocational training is a very successful solution. In terms of sequence they miss the productivity part too. For example, the weekly exercise of a motorized rubbish truck picking up garbage from 1000s of homes. All achieved by one employee coupled with standardised systems and technology. People see this and say, oh! labour is costly here and hence, they use machines. However, they miss the fact that technology and systems improved their productivity which in turn increased the real wages which is why the labour is expensive compared to a low productivity country like India. The costly labour is a consequence in this scenario of a high productivity country. Anyway, I have heard arguments of how India is richer than Australia and I just cannot continue discussions from there. Cheers Nice one.

What you said about these industrialized countries being as poor as India a 100 years back is something which most people do not grasp.

A lot of educated Indians that I meet in Australia just does not grasp the point that Australia was poor at one point. In fact, most people do not understand the dynamic nature of a economy and the power of compounded growth.

Migrant Indians here mock at the fact that the Aussie kids here need calculators to do maths. That many students do not go to university. However, they cannot grasp the fact that they are still one of the most developed and richest countries in the world without all students educated at the university level.

In fact, Australia’s vocational training is a very successful solution.

In terms of sequence they miss the productivity part too.

For example, the weekly exercise of a motorized rubbish truck picking up garbage from 1000s of homes. All achieved by one employee coupled with standardised systems and technology.

People see this and say, oh! labour is costly here and hence, they use machines. However, they miss the fact that technology and systems improved their productivity which in turn increased the real wages which is why the labour is expensive compared to a low productivity country like India. The costly labour is a consequence in this scenario of a high productivity country.

Anyway, I have heard arguments of how India is richer than Australia and I just cannot continue discussions from there.

Cheers

]]>