|
||||||||
 | ||||||||
|
Frankfurter Buchmesse: Gastland Indien |
 |
|
Die zukünftigen Supermächte: USA-Indien-China? |  Interview mit der Botschafterin Indiens I.E. Meera Shankar |
AD-Rates|
Indien feiert in diesem Jahr die 60 jährige Unabhängigkeit AsiaToday Germany veröffentlicht ein Interview mit der indischen Botschafterin in Deutschland Ihre Excellenze Meera Shankar Author: Mir Monaz Haque [Indien feiert in diesem Jahr die 60 jährige Unabhängigkeit. Anlass dazu wird ASIATODAY Germany eine Sonderausgabe herausgeben. Indien feiert sich gerne als "größte Demokratie" der Welt. Dieser Anspruch ist nicht unbegründet. Der Entwurf des zehnten Fünfjahres-plans (2002-2007) sieht ein jährliches Wachstum der indischen Wirtschaft von 9 Prozent vor.] Interview with the Indian Ambassador to Germany Her Excellency Meera Shankar AsiaToday: India, the World's Largest Democracy is celebrating its 60th Anniversary of Independence this year. Would you agree that political pluralism and the practice of democracy are the main factors of economic developments for India? Ambassador Meera Shankar: Yes I agree. Pluralism in Indian society is reflected in the composition of its political parties as well. National parties which have presence across various states coexist with regional parties. This has ensured that policies are made in accordance with the concurrence of a wide section of society. Democracy has ensured political stability in the country and has helped in sustaining investor confidence. AsiaToday: India was a proponent of protectionist economic policy for a long period and opened its markets to global trade 15 years ago. India has doubled the size of its economy since then and has created a middle class which is larger than the entire population of the European Community. Do you think India can be an example for other developing countries? Ambassador Meera Shankar: India undertook major economic reforms in 1991. Since then we have achieved an average growth rate of 6% which has accelerated to 8% in the last three years. Each country has to evolve an approach best suited to its own situation. However, India’s positive performance demonstrates that democracy and development can go hand in hand. AsiaToday: How would you describe the Indian role in the world economy and the challenges of globalisation in India? Ambassador Meera Shankar: India is the world’s 4th largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. Being one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it is also a favoured investment destination. India is also a developing country with many challenges. Like any other country, India has its own concerns about globalisation. But we believe that this process is inevitable. Therefore, one must look to harness change to advantage. We hope that the WTO negotiations will be carried forward with development as the focus. AsiaToday: India‘s economy has developed at an average rate of 7% per year and has brought prosperity to its society. Do you believe prosperity comes at an enormous responsibility for all Indians? Ambassador Meera Shankar: Yes. It is the responsibility of every Indian to sustain the prosperity achieved and to continue to move forward with the same enthusiasm. AsiaToday: How do you describe the tremendous development of the IT sector in your country? Ambassador Meera Shankar: I would say that IT sector almost single handedly changed the image of India and Indians in the world. Over the past years, the Indian IT sector has achieved tremendous growth. Our total revenues from IT and IT enabled services were $28 billion in 2005, which is expected to reach $36 billion this year, registering a 28% growth rate. Nearly two-thirds of this revenue would come from exports. We are well on track to achieve the targeted revenue earnings of $60 billion in this sector by 2010. AsiaToday: How do you see German industrial cooperations involved with Indian industries. Ambassador Meera Shankar: Industries of both countries are cooperating very closely. Many large German companies have been in India for some time. Over the past few years, there has been an increasing interest from German small and medium enterprises to invest in India. On the other hand, a lot of Indian companies have also invested in Germany, giving employment to the local population. They range from software firms like Infosys to pharmaceutical companies like Dr. Reddy´s labs. AsiaToday: Recently the Indian Prime minister visited Germany and asked German investors to invest in India. What kind of incentives are you offering for German investors? Which are the significant investment sectors in India? Ambassador Meera Shankar: India is committed to an open, liberal economy. In order to integrate with the global economy, tariff barriers have been brought down and an investment friendly climate has been created. Most of the sectors of our economy are open for foreign investment. Special Economic Zones (SEZ) have been set up to boost exports. At present, India is paying particular attention to infrastructure especially transport, power and energy. Over the next decade, our economy can absorb over $ 150 billion of investment in infrastructure alone! AsiaToday: Frankfurt Book Fair is the biggest book exhibition in the world and has honoured India as its Guest of Honour during the book fair this year, for the second time in a row. How many books have you presented in Frankfurt which has been translated in to German? Ambassador Meera Shankar: India presented more than 100 books translated into German at the Frankfurt book fair. There were about 235 Indian publishers attending the fair. AsiaToday: Although there is a substantial amount of IT expertise in India, there are few books which are published of a technical nature. Where is the technical information sourced from and how exactly do they learn? Ambassador Meera Shankar: A lot of technical books are published in India as well by eminent professors and technical experts from various universities and institutions. Books from internationally renowned experts are also available in India. Students are learning also through the internet, videoconferencing etc. AsiaToday: Of Tagore and some other scholars, Indian literature is not very popular with most of the German readers. How would you ideally like to promote Indian literature in Germany? Ambassador Meera Shankar: We hope that the Frankfurt Book Fair and the exposure to the wide range of Indian literature now being translated into German would evoke greater interest. Indian literature is witnessing great creative ferment and has appeal across cultures AsiaToday: The Goethe Institute has been promoting German language, literature and its culture in India for some time now. India on the other hand has a established a newly Indian Cultural Centre in Germany. Which do you intend to target and promote when it comes to Indian culture and literature in Germany? Ambassador Meera Shankar: We conduct different cultural programmes in the Tagore Centre not only by distinguished artists from India but also the talent available locally in Germany. I am amazed at the very talented German dancers and musicians who have devoted their lives to Indian performing arts. AsiaToday: How do you describe the socio-cultural exchange and acceptance between Germany and India? Ambassador Meera Shankar: I would say that there is increasing openness and interaction. Bollywood films are becoming popular in Germany. Indian music and dance forms are attracting a lot of attention. There are also a lot of literary exchanges taking place. AsiaToday: My understanding is you have been in Germany for one year and have been representing India in Germany. What is your personal opinion of German culture, the people and its society? Do you speak German? Do you like German food? Ambassador Meera Shankar: Germany is a country with a rich and diverse culture. Germans are hard working, punctual and also good beer drinkers. German society is open and receptive. I follow German and I like German food, though, of course, as an Indian I would like it a little spiced up. AsiaToday: I thank you for your valuable time. |