India has talent but lacks quality: Amartya Sen in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Dec 20 (INN): Talent is abundant in India, but the problem is quality, which lacks in this country, said Prof. Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate and Bharat Ratna here in the city on Thursday night at N-Convention Centre in Hi-Tech City. We too had some great universities like Nalanda. Now we see many in USA, UK and other countries. It is not big mystery to unravel why we don't have world class universities today. It is just that we never paid attention. We never thought of creating some of them. Since we have great talent in all spheres of our life, let us create some world class universities. Not just one but we need lot of them, he felt.

The FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) and its parent body Andhra Pradesh State Council (APSC) jointly held a felicitation program of Prof. Amartya Sen. This was the first time ever for any industrial body in the city to honour the India's world renowned Economist. The function was graced by 250 gathering comprised of office bearers, members of FLO, APSC, Past Chairs, representatives of various industrial bodies, government officials, Faculty members of various educational academies.

Welcoming the gathering Chairperson of FICCI FLO Jyotsna Angara said, nearly 10 million businesses are owned by women across the world. Women have that power and potential to prove their mettle, she said.

Chairperson of FICCI Andhra Pradesh State Council expressed her gratitude to Prof Sen for giving FLO and APSC an opportunity to honour him as well as listen him speaking to them. She further informed that FICCI would plant ten trees in his honour and maintain them.

In his brief address to the gathering Nobel Laureate and Bharat Ratna, Prof. Amartya Sen said people must focus on important issues rather than just keep blaming governments. People are government and government is people. You can't blame government for everything, he opined. Adding further, the world famous Indian Prof of Economist and Philosophy said that governments in a democratic set up work what is best works for their people. In fact they do what people expect them to do, he said.

Problems are plenty. But, we should have culture of discussing them, resolving them for good. Solutions lie in problems itself in many problems, he observed. Replying to a question what single advise he would give his two children Indrani and Kabir, he said why advise people. I am against giving them advise. In case if I have to give an advise, why one advise. Infact they need many. We cant give just one advise to our children. It is a continuous process. You keep giving them point of direction/s. Keep giving and never stop, he said.

Replying to another question he said 55 per cent of people in Bangladesh have toilets. In India less than 40% population has toilets. India lags behind countries like Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa in ensuring basic and very essential amenities like public toilets.

Prof Sen felt that India on par with European countries could not develop industrially. Neglecting scientific education is the reason for this. Modern India ignores importance of Science, Maths. Whereas our ancestors excelled and did wonders in Mathematics and became pioneers in the world. But, we are unable inherit that strength in us in this age. Peace is the most sought after thing for the development of any nation. Another reason why we have not progressed on par with the best in the west is instability, which has hampered our development, he analysed.