Right thinking is said to be the ultimate human resource of a nation. To-day what we require is “well-educated adaptive population” rather than educated men. The greatest enemy of good thinking is, perhaps, complexity and lack of fair knowledge. It may be recalled that no society remains completely stagnant with complete inaction.

The dynamics of growth, visible and invisible, - takes place in one way or other. Even though a baby sleeps, the baby grows.

As such one cannot raise the level of understanding merely by going on the rut of same beaten track. We educate to change and produce something new. One has to accept the emerging imperatives of the fast changing world.

The world has changed a lot and is going to change, perhaps, faster under the active and highly stimulating influence of science and technology. We have just witnessed the exciting waves of "Information Revolution" which produces new urges, new temptations and new equations. Now the new brave world is prepared for a bigger drive to maturity.

Interdependence and inter-linkages have now acquired a new dimension rendering the dogmatic traditional assertion on prolonged isolation and insularity, obsolete and counter-productive.

The so-called technology (technical know-how and specific skill) which is kingpin of modern development and which is master key-to all forms of human achievement, keeps on changing. One has to accept the objective message of changing wave.

New technology makes men wiser, more alert and responsive to new challenges. One has to learn more about increasing returns to scale in "new ways of doing the same old things".

The question before us is about globalisation. Ever-enlarging circle of activities is the crux of the global integration:- economic and non-economic. Of course, this wave carries with itself the seeds of "opportunities" and "risks".

Please look at your own kitchen, drawing room, bed room, and reading room where you find a colour TV with multi-channels as a good friend;- as one item of essential package of modern life.

We do enjoy global news, global events and global achievements. BBC gives a global picture. DDK gives a national scene. We get quick communication with a small mobile phone.

Sitting in our small room we can learn about "others". Here we are in the process of globalization. How can we stop our mental temptation for learning about others? It is surely odd and bad to accept or reject ideas based on where they come from.

The message is simple.

Where there is more competition, there is efficiency. Where there is efficiency. there is strength.

Where there is strength, there is growth.

Competition gives birth to efficiency. Efficiency is mother of strength. Strength is pillar of development. It may be suicidal to think of growth without competitiveness.

In this sense globalization has become a fact of growing competition beyond traditional frontiers - rather than an option. Globalization is a process - not a particular event at a point of time. Necessarily, we have today, knowingly or unknowingly; become a micro unit of greater global network.

Now we have to act on the "chosen form", prepared and carefully worked out model, - based on our own ascertained "core-competencies of marked comparative advantage". Otherwise, we may consequently feel simply left out with empty gesture of defiance and inward disgrace.

The strong domestic economic structure has now to act as foundation of competitive partner of global development process. In a way globalization begins at home. Availability of opportunity is one and utilization of that opportunity is another.

Unfortunately at the moment in Manipur one gets terribly disillusioned and painfully disappointed to work as Entrepreneur or bigger scale in the local atmosphere vitiated, poisoned and considerably surcharged with vicious circles of "Unjustified Risks", "Unjustified Costs", and "Unjustified Barriers". The investment atmosphere is visibly hostile.

Today in Manipur even elementary justice seems to be a cry in wilderness. Capable Governance has, it appears, been buried into oblivion. The economy is in disarray. The creative autonomy of intellectual structure gets disturbed while we require structural maturity and institutional harmony.

Please remember man wants to invest his labour and capital only when he feels good, happy and confident. Because investment decision is always forward looking. At the heart of the problem lies a basic tension of patriotic arrogance.

But the hard fact remains clear that the job of development of Manipur is too big for Manipur to do alone. Even before any green signal of FDI is seen, why should we shut the door?

They may refuse to come. The general atmosphere is largely disturbing. FDI comes with three distinct advantages, viz

A) Capital;
B) Better technology and
C) Greater market linkages.

It is not merely a question of planning of economy but a question of managing the economy, redesigning the policy settings in the wake of hard realities of global linkages.

There should not be any area of confusion between "Preference" and "Priority". Interestingly Manipur undertakes "plans" without appropriate "plan implementation". Challenge is sweet, because life without new problems becomes monotonous.

— to be continued

Read Part 1 | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII |