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In the drive for development, some states are faring better
than others in the country. Bright young entrepreneurs have
energized the national technology scene. Bengaluru, Chennai,
Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad are hubs of business activities.
Not to be republished
But even though the IT sector is a very visible area of success
and has brought in some capital investment in terms of overall
development, this is not enough. Even if you take up the IT area
as a mission, manpower is the most important need. Those living
©KTBS
away from the cities must also have access to a good education
to join the talent pool. And this should happen fast.

My visits to the northeastern states – Tripura and Assam –
and to Jharkhand showed me our untapped potential. Tripura’s
economy rests on forest products, including bamboo cultivation.
It is rich in mineral wealth, as also in natural gas. But the trans-
port facilities are in bad shape. It is difficult to travel, interact
and organize business. There is isolation. In Jharkhand too
there is mineral wealth besides its resources in terms of forest
products and handicrafts, all of which need to be developed. In
Assam, there is no shortage of resources and the state has good
educational infrastructure. All the ingredients required for a de-
veloped economy are there but there is insurgency and unrest
among people. A focussed mission will integrate people.

States such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and
Karnataka have made me realize that much can be achieved once
efforts are made to channel development funds for improvement
in areas such as education and health. These and other states
can become good examples of economic development.

Our intellectual forums, political platforms, academic
institutions and chambers of commerce are full of discussion
and debate. There is noise, a lot of it in fact. There are endless
debates, arguments, hypotheses, theories, and yet there is little
progress. However, the theme of a developed India is not discussed
in boardrooms and technology conferences. I want all of us – in-
stitutions, political parties, industries, communities, families,

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