Inclusive growth should also cover middle class: Montek
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New Delhi, Oct 31 - Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said Wednesday that inclusive economic growth also needed to address the concerns of India's middle class.'Inclusive growth goes beyond the way it has been presented. It's not only a question of poverty alleviation. It's a growth process that people feel is affecting everyone,' Ahluwalia told the Fortune Global Forum here.'It is not enough to say that the poor are getting poorer (because of globalisation). There is a large population whose concerns have also to be addressed.'The middle class is concerned whether their upward social mobility will continue for their children. We have to broaden the concept (of inclusive growth beyond) just a question of taking the poor along,' he said.Ahluwalia was speaking at a session on 'India's Economy: The Long View'. His comments came in response to issues raised during a previous session, 'Globalisation's Winners or Losers'.The question posed at that session was: 'How do American politicians address their voters' concerns that globalisation was taking away US jobs?'Ahluwalia responded: 'The answer is that the US political leadership should realise that there's a lot to be gained here.''So, how would you grade India on globalisation?' asked columnist Robert Friedman, the moderator.'It's not just about globalisation but also about inclusive growth,' Ahluwalia replied.As for globalisation's winners and losers, it fell on former Indian diplomat Shashi Tharoor to take on the US-centric views of the three other panelists.'The ideology of the freedom movement was anti-globalisation. For the first 40 years (after independence), our economics of nationalism said you couldn't be politically independent if you are not economically independent. So protectionism went up.'For us, (the) globalisation (process that began in the early 1990s) signals a paradigm shift in our economic policies. Now, (with the Indian economy galloping), you are saying 'Whoa (slow down)',' Tharoor maintained. (c) Indo-Asian News Service
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