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Experts from diverse fields lead economic and social discussions at two-day Berkeley India Conference
Political and social leaders got together to discuss and propose solutions to the problems faced by the Indian economy, at the Berkeley India Conference 2017. A panel of experts from diverse fields spanning inter alia, policy, journalism, academia, and politics, led discussions and interacted with students in this two-day conference.
In an economy-based discussion, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Baijayant 'Jay' Panda (Biju Janata Dal party), and Sheba Tejani, Assistant Professor at The New School, discussed the future of India and Indian policy.
On Universal Basic Income, Panda said the government's cash transfer scheme certainly keeps "people out of destitution." He lauded the government's efforts saying that only when one is not thinking about the next meal, will he/she be able to think about aspirations, goals, and ambitions.
He, however, expressed his concern saying that about 40-70% of the allocated money goes away in "wages, salary, and leakage." Submitting that NREGA boosts wages, he argued that there are far more efficient ways to achieve this 'boost.' "The government was only creating extra work through this cash transfer scheme," Panda said.
On inequality, Panda brought to light salary differences in the corporate sector. He claimed that the ratio of the salary of CXO's to the profit of firms is highly distorted; "this shows that those salaries are actually not market determined (as the firms' claim)."
On India-US relations, Panda said we have done well on the geopolitical front, but we need to "collaborate more on the education front."
Following this economic discussion, Abhijith Ravinutala, R Balasubramaniam, and Isha Ray talked about 'sex, depression, and periods: the hush words of Indian healthcare.'
Ravinutala, who is a student at Harvard Divinity School and the CEO of MannMukti, (a nonprofit enterprise that aims to solve the issue of mental health), claimed that we fear to talk about 'depressive symptoms', but happily talk about 'stress,' primarily because we feel that depression is a stigma (and that no one is actually depressed).
"There are three psychiatrists per million people. However, in the US, there are 124 psychiatrists per million people, but hardly any psychiatrist understands the cultural nuances because of which Indians and South Asians face depression," Ravinutala said.
Balasubramaniam on the other hand said, "Stigma cannot be intellectualized" and established that merely talking about stigma won't solve the problem.
Isha Ray, who is a member of faculty of the Energy and Resources Group, talked about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. She said that the mission is doing a "wonderful" job, but the mission is "entirely focused on one aspect - removal of open defecation." She remarked that this 'focus' neglects a very "important sanitation need of adolescent women to manage periods with dignity, hygiene, and without shame."
She cited the Sustainable Development Goals to lay stress on the point that access to equal sanitation should be guaranteed to all. "All is the keyword over here," Ray said, adding that removal of open defecation is just one part of the story. "The other part is to address and, at least, begin to talk about menstrual hygiene."
"To break a taboo, we need both formal and informal education" and we need to start a long process so that topics like periods and menstruation can be talked about "without shame, fear, and embarrassment." She concluded her remarks by saying that to eradicate stigma, we need to normalize issues and not make a big deal about them.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...l&utm_campaign=TOI&utm_content=om-bm&from=mdr
Political and social leaders got together to discuss and propose solutions to the problems faced by the Indian economy, at the Berkeley India Conference 2017. A panel of experts from diverse fields spanning inter alia, policy, journalism, academia, and politics, led discussions and interacted with students in this two-day conference.
In an economy-based discussion, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Baijayant 'Jay' Panda (Biju Janata Dal party), and Sheba Tejani, Assistant Professor at The New School, discussed the future of India and Indian policy.
On Universal Basic Income, Panda said the government's cash transfer scheme certainly keeps "people out of destitution." He lauded the government's efforts saying that only when one is not thinking about the next meal, will he/she be able to think about aspirations, goals, and ambitions.
He, however, expressed his concern saying that about 40-70% of the allocated money goes away in "wages, salary, and leakage." Submitting that NREGA boosts wages, he argued that there are far more efficient ways to achieve this 'boost.' "The government was only creating extra work through this cash transfer scheme," Panda said.
On inequality, Panda brought to light salary differences in the corporate sector. He claimed that the ratio of the salary of CXO's to the profit of firms is highly distorted; "this shows that those salaries are actually not market determined (as the firms' claim)."
On India-US relations, Panda said we have done well on the geopolitical front, but we need to "collaborate more on the education front."
Following this economic discussion, Abhijith Ravinutala, R Balasubramaniam, and Isha Ray talked about 'sex, depression, and periods: the hush words of Indian healthcare.'
Ravinutala, who is a student at Harvard Divinity School and the CEO of MannMukti, (a nonprofit enterprise that aims to solve the issue of mental health), claimed that we fear to talk about 'depressive symptoms', but happily talk about 'stress,' primarily because we feel that depression is a stigma (and that no one is actually depressed).
"There are three psychiatrists per million people. However, in the US, there are 124 psychiatrists per million people, but hardly any psychiatrist understands the cultural nuances because of which Indians and South Asians face depression," Ravinutala said.
Balasubramaniam on the other hand said, "Stigma cannot be intellectualized" and established that merely talking about stigma won't solve the problem.
Isha Ray, who is a member of faculty of the Energy and Resources Group, talked about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. She said that the mission is doing a "wonderful" job, but the mission is "entirely focused on one aspect - removal of open defecation." She remarked that this 'focus' neglects a very "important sanitation need of adolescent women to manage periods with dignity, hygiene, and without shame."
She cited the Sustainable Development Goals to lay stress on the point that access to equal sanitation should be guaranteed to all. "All is the keyword over here," Ray said, adding that removal of open defecation is just one part of the story. "The other part is to address and, at least, begin to talk about menstrual hygiene."
"To break a taboo, we need both formal and informal education" and we need to start a long process so that topics like periods and menstruation can be talked about "without shame, fear, and embarrassment." She concluded her remarks by saying that to eradicate stigma, we need to normalize issues and not make a big deal about them.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...l&utm_campaign=TOI&utm_content=om-bm&from=mdr
