Where does India stand in comparison to China?

India and China are two major powers in the Asian continent and both have an important role to play in all major fields of this region. Apart from being a responsible nuclear power, the story of economic development of both the nations in recent times remains a topic of global debate.

It has been a habit and inseparable part of human nature that we keep comparing our growth and status from our neighbours. Whether we talk of an individual living in any colony or we talk of the nation as a whole, we have been making comparisons with our neighbour China every now and then. Right from sports to infrastructure, satellite development to military progression, we keep the example of China ahead us before analyzing the position of our country even if it draws some criticism from some quarters.

It is no secret that China has achieved a better part in many fields and is now having world class bullet trains connecting its major cities and in years to come, China will be adding more lines for a faster connectivity whereas we have not been able to complete Metro Rail projects in even five major cities till date including our capital where Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is trying its level best to complete as much as possible before the commencement of Commonwealth Games.

When it comes to Railways, China no doubt is far ahead of us and we don’t even bother to think why after having talented engineers and the best of the machines available with our companies, we lag far behind in completing our national projects in the stipulated time. For the last five years, the demand of commuters travelling on Aishbagh-Sitapur section of the north-eastern railway for gauge conversion is lying in the cold storage. The work on Luckhnow-Moradabad section of the northern railway began in 2006. This is the fifth year running and we have not been able to electrify the route even up to Bareilly which is some 245 kms away. This is the speed of our progress in the 21st century.

Leave aside the Railways; let us take the development speed of road construction. It was in the year 2006, when the work to widen National Highway- 24 was awarded and it was decided to make an expressway between Luckhnow and Sitapur. Some 72 kms was to be constructed and it’s the fifth year, the work has not been completed.

Why are we so lethargic in completing national projects? We have no explanations for that. The costs keep rising with the passage of every year and ultimately we pay three to four times of the cost due to delay in projects.

There is no coordination among the departments involved and too much of red tapism make things worse here in India. The projects once formulated in China take one-fourth time in getting completed, than what our companies normally take, here. The time has come when we must push ourselves to work for nation building in the right spirit by putting the habit of taking commissions aside. If we can’t keep ourselves ahead of China then let us also not take things casually and get out of the race.

If our neighbour can achieve something in lesser time, then we must acknowledge its sincere efforts and salute the national character of its people who are committed to nation building. We have to shed this ‘chalta hai’ attitude and have to bring in some sincerity and accountability among our people engaged in these national projects. Till we don’t become honest to our own self while discharging national duties we will not be able to get ahead of China in the years to come.