Indra’s Drishtikona (Viewpoint)

India better than China

Posted : May 31, 2004 at 10:26 am [IST]

In any get together, you hear a comparison of Indian backwardness, our poor growth rate, and general remark such as ‘almost in every thing India is lagging behind’. I get upset and some times I pity those who make these remarks because of their age-old habit of considering everything local as poor. I looked into my note book and found India is also ahead of China in many things. I am listing below some to provide a ‘feel good’ aspect of our country and its achievements for those who take pride in India and Indians. Again, I agree China has gone far ahead. India must make China a benchmark and move faster without any complacency. .
” The world competitiveness survey covers some 59 countries and regional economies, using 321 criteria grouped under four heads (IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook-IMD is Swiss based management education Institute)
1. Economic performance
2. Government efficiency
3. Business efficiency
4. Infrastructure
” In business efficiency, India ranked 19 above China24(Japan 14, South Korea18)
” In fiscal policy, India is placed at 5 against China at 7
(In the government efficiency, China is ranked at 9, while India is at 19; in economic performance China is at 2 ahead of India at 12, in infrastructure, China is at 17, where India is far behind at 27)
” India is ranked number one in the world for its cheapest mobile telephone at 12 cents.
” India is listed as the second best “exotic tourist destination” followed by China and Egypt. Thailand topped the list.(2003 Survey conducted by Kellogg School of Management)
” In film production, India is far ahead with 800 films produced per year against only 85 by China. Six films from India have been either nominated to or won Oscar awards. Only 2 films from China made by the Chinese have been nominated or won Oscars. There are 11 Indian artists in Hollywood, whereas there are only three Chinese actors in Hollywood.
” India has won or been nominated to 98 Clio awards (a global advertising award). The figure for China is 26.
” India has 43 UN accredited NGOs, China has four.
” China has seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities. In past decades pollution levels in China have risen at twice India’s level
” Average salary of a factory worker is about Rs. 3500 in India against Rs.2400 in China. In India only 34 minutes of work time is required to buy one kg of bread as against103 minutes of work time in China.
” Amount of irrigated land in India is 590000 square kilometers. In China it is 525000 square kilometers.
” In India national holidays are about 17 + 30(RH) against only 17 in China.
” China has only a sixth of India’s university graduates ( but it is much closer to universal literacy).
” Total external debt in US $ billion for India is 100, while that for China is 150. India’s rank among 15 most indebted countries in term of total external debt is 9, where as that of China is 4. (India ranks 14 among 15 most indebted countries in terms of total external debt to GNP against China’s 15.)
” Poultry meat market in India is growing at 13% as against the Chinese growth is at 10%.
” India is the world’s largest tractor market.
” India is the largest producer of milk in the world. India’s per capita consumption of milk is 215gms/day, whereas China’s is one of the lowest in the world at 17gms/day. China does not have a developed dairy industry.
” In a survey, 11 out of every 100 persons in India say their lives will be worse off after retirement, the figure for China is 16.
” Indians buy the maximum of gold every year about 825 tons worth $7 billion.
” India has a stock exchange that has about 40 million traders that is much higher a figure than the Chinese one.
” India’s diamond industry is the largest in the world, so is the India’s sponge iron industry (about 69 million tons in 2003).
” India is having the largest number of seats in out-sourcing call centres and the industry is projected to grow 65% in year 2004-05 to 158000 seats and the projected figure of growth for China is 41% to 53000 seats.
” In supply chain management, logistics costs for India is 13% of GDP, the same for China is 16-20% of GDP (For Japan, it is 11%).
” As per AT Kearney, almost 25% of the 500 US auto executives polled for a survey conducted over the last 3 months had opted for India followed by China with 15% as a BPO services destination.
” Smoking prevalence % of adults in India is 29.4% for males and 2.5% for females against that of 53.4% in males and 4.0% in males of China.
” The National Science Foundation estimated in 2000 that 12% of US science and engineering degree holders were of Indian origin and 9% were Chinese.
” India has 50 CMM Level-5 software firms, China has two.
” India has 65 pharmaceutical plants approved by the Federal Drug Administrator of the US, China has only 20 such plants.
” No leading Chinese firm can match the top 10 Indian private companies.

And you add some——

And lastly, a report from Vir Sanghvi in HT about the smiling waitresses in a top Beijing’s restaurant as told by the Indian manager-
“These girls are given permits to live in Beijing only after he certifies that he is willing to give them jobs. If he is dissatisfied with the work of any of them, he simply sacks her. In that case, her Beijing permit will be withdrawn and she will be forced to go back to her village. It is unusual for the girls to complain about anything. Let alone their wages. Labour trouble is not a concept they are familiar with in China.” This is the reason that you do see a slum in Beijing. Will our labour leaders and human rightists accept this? Are we not better though at a cost?

- Indra

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