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Indian leaders are travelling the globe to spread the message that the
country is open for business. Legislative changes are creating an
economy that is open to international investment and leading to a
quickened pace of international development, they say. "Today our
biggest concern is infrastructure, with particular emphasis on power,
telecommunications and highways. Thirty years ago, it was food.
Progress in the past five years has been most notable. Now, our
government changes, but our economic direct Opportunity is clearly
knocking for Canadian business, but it comes with a learning curve.
Traditional Indian culture and modern business practices contrast and
co-mingle in ways that are often bewildering to Western eyes. To do
business, a resident Indian partner fluent in Hindi, and the local
language (there are 18 officially recognized across the country) will
be indispensable in helping you navigate the country.
Caste system persists
Canadian organizations operating in India will have to adjust to the
reality that caste membership, as well as gender and age, are
significant factors in access to employment. Efforts have begun ,
however, to promote job opportunities for lower caste members. Jobs
posted a renowned university, for instance, included requirements such
as: 1. "Age not exceeding 40 years," or "Should not exceed 30 years of
age." 2. "...Six Junior Technical Assistants (unreserved, 3; reserved
for scheduled tribe candidates, 1; backward classes, 2)" and, 3.
Bio-dates (resumes) father's/husband's name".
Such equity-type policies do not exist for women, however, who face
fewer job opportunities and low pay for most openings that exist.
Compensation for the university jobs listed above, for instance, ranged
from Rs. 1400 to Rs. 5000 per week ($56 to $200 Canadian). That rate
compares to Rs. 150 per week (or less) received by women and children
working in silk and pottery factories.
On the upside, such limited opportunity has led to recent exponential
growth in the number of female entrepreneurs, a trend boosted by
organizations such as the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of
Karnataka, founded 14 years ago by Makhura Chatrapathy, now executive
director of the Asian Centre for Entrepreneurial Initiatives (email:
ace@giasbg01.vsnl.net.in).
Tackling child labour
The government is starting to move on the intractable issue of child
labour, an issue that has become prominent in Canada recently due
largely to the efforts of child activist Craig Kielburger. Many of the
solutions suggested by Kielburger and others, however, may be
simplistic. Proposals to ban products from Canada made in Indian
factories that employ children, or that encourage the Indian government
to crack down on such companies, may be unrealistic because many
children are their families' main wage-ea To deny them employment risks
leading many of them to begging and prostitution rather than to school.
New initiatives encourage factories to schedule children to work half
days, freeing them to go to school the other half. Some schools also
award children a 2kg. sack of flour for each full week of school
completed. Perhaps these are ideas for high-dropout Canadian schools!
Spirituality integrated
Emphasis on spiritual and personal development abounds, balancing the
drive to develop the economy. For example, centuries of yoga practice
are now applied to stress reduction, the development of memory, IQ,
creativity, health and more. A business convention that attracted more
than 1,500 participants had a keynote speaker whose topic was love.
Religious shrines are common in workplaces, and employees will pause
for a quick prayer, even in the middle of a conversation, before the
sites of worship.
Corruption remains and acknowledged and ongoing problem. One man we met
said he had been driving without a license for several years because he
refused to pay bribes on top of the license fee. While there is regular
reporting in the daily news about corrupt politicians being brought to
justice, these efforts are just the beginning.
Like the rest of the world, India is changing quickly. And, as noted by
John Naisbitt in Megatrends Asia, "The modernization of Asia -
economically, politically and culturally - is by far the most important
event taking place in the world today."
The recent Team Canada visit demonstrates Canada's eagerness to
participate in this new economy. With our sizable Indian-Canadian
community and wealth of human diversity, we are well-positioned to be
part of India's development. India is open for business, but we still
have much to learn from each other.
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