Engines of Growth…..
World cup fever is rising…..we are at the semis stage. In one interview of FIFA chairman , he said future of football is India. It will take the game to it’s next level. Seeing countries across the globe clashing to hold the coveted cup….it tickles me and every other Indian to see our country also rising as a challenger.

Although my title and start might seem contradictory but they are interlinked. Sports can be and is already a major industry. For a country of 1 billion sports, can be a major industry and employment generator. Leave aside Cricket because I firmly believe as diverse nation we need diverse sports too. Now what about business…..If we could encourage sports at every school level, it will expose us to a vast pool of talent.It should be all sports like athletics, swimming, hockey football, cricket etc etc.

Scholarships should be instituted for talent in sports. Centers of excellence can be established throughout the country like IIT to nurture the talent. Teenagers can be examined for their prodigy in different games. They can then be admitted to this schools where their needs of education and sports can be taken care of by government. Coachs can come from retired professionals. Public-private partnership can be the best way to raise funds. It can provide employment to lot of talented sportsmen and also create a multi billion $ industry through stadiums, equipments, tournaments and sponsorships.

Now coming to other one i.e public transport. Except metros this is the most neglected area in other cities. Sometime after the first oil shock GOI had planned to have mass transit system in every city of 1 million population. Now even after quarter century we could do it, could be a major event. These systems can create direct employment as employees in these systems, beside they can help the city to grow thus attracting more investment and hence economic activity. In fact the best example is of Mumbai which grew because of local trains and then economic activity and now it’s continuing.

Other can be Health Services…India needs 1 lakh doctors every year and we are producing 20k.It can generate employment but also be a major revenue generator because of lower costs as compared to global levels and besides poor health infrastructure in India. NHS (National Health Services) of UK is the 3rd largest employer in world.
If a small country like UK can do it why can’t we????????