Think India: Can right wing thinking fix India's poverty problem?

At a time when India's economy is ailing, Think India has embarked on its first project “Change India: An Agenda for the Next Prime Minister” for which it will invite the finest minds from across the country to draw up an action plan for the person who will take over the reins of the Government next year.[caption id="attachment_1268835" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image. AFP[/caption]Network 18's ThinkIndia Dialogue is to influence public policy through public speaking engagements, events and regular interactions with policy-makers, business and social thinkers, using partnerships with multiple media.Network18 Founder and Editor Raghav Bahl and Think India Foundation Director Dhiraj Nayyar had a Twitter interview with Firstpost to talk more about the Change India initiative.Here are the questions that people asked and what Raghav Bahl and Dhiraj Nayyar had to say:

#ChangeIndia Q1: Do you think a right wing think tank will work when there is so much poverty in India? @Raghav_Bahl @nayyardhiraj @TheJaggi — Firstpost (@firstpostin) December 5, 2013

 

Maximum poverty reduction has happened in right leaning democracies. It's a myth that center-right economics is anti-poverty #changeindia — Raghav Bahl (@Raghav_Bahl) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin A left-leaning system hasn't delivered the poor from their poverty in 65 years. We are at a pivotal moment of change — Dhiraj Nayyar (@nayyardhiraj) December 5, 2013

 

"Right wing" is a pejorative smear because of cultural nationalism in old world, "loony" ultra right thought. That's now dead. #changeindia — Raghav Bahl (@Raghav_Bahl) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin people are looking for an alternative and a market economy will provide it #ChangeIndia — Dhiraj Nayyar (@nayyardhiraj) December 5, 2013

 

. @Raghav_Bahl, @nayyardhiraj @TheJaggi: But when you talk about right leaning democracies, did they have as large a poverty base as India? — Firstpost (@firstpostin) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin:Today's center-right philosophy is about social liberalism & economic conservatism. The loony right is dead& gone. #changeindia — Raghav Bahl (@Raghav_Bahl) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin US, Europe and Japan weren't always rich. They became prosperous by trusting the power of free markets. #ChangeIndia — Dhiraj Nayyar (@nayyardhiraj) December 5, 2013

 

Socialism worked in China. Why hasn't it worked in India inspite of two heavily popular PMs promoting it? #changeindia — KS (@KS_India1993) December 5, 2013

 

@KS_India1993 : The Chinese success is not socialism. It started off with extractive state capitalism under coercive communism.#changeindia — Raghav Bahl (@Raghav_Bahl) December 5, 2013

 

Q2: So few people take part in markets in India, what's the use of a market-oriented think tank? @Raghav_Bahl @nayyardhiraj #ChangeIndia — Firstpost (@firstpostin) December 5, 2013

 

Its a fallacy.Think telecom.When it was govt controlled hardly anyone had 1.With markets, almost every indian has.@firstpostin #ChangeIndia — Dhiraj Nayyar (@nayyardhiraj) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin: India has been a mkt economy for centuries, but an "unorganised" one. Challenge is to regulate & reform them. #changeindia — Raghav Bahl (@Raghav_Bahl) December 5, 2013

 

Q3: What do you hope to achieve with Think India? Just influence the influencers? #ChangeIndia @Raghav_Bahl @nayyardhiraj @TheJaggi — Firstpost (@firstpostin) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin Influence the influencers of course.But also build public opinion.That's the real game changer,forces govt to act #ChangeIndia — Dhiraj Nayyar (@nayyardhiraj) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin : After influence shall come the right action. So yes, we want to create the ECOSYSTEM FOR RIGHT ACTION. #changeindia — Raghav Bahl (@Raghav_Bahl) December 5, 2013

 

Last Q: Heritage model does a variety of things. What more do you plan to do other than events? #ChangeIndia @Raghav_Bahl @nayyardhiraj — Firstpost (@firstpostin) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin: Events, academic research/publications, high profile seminars - generally, everything in the Thought Ecosystem. #changeindia — Raghav Bahl (@Raghav_Bahl) December 5, 2013

 

@firstpostin We want to be thought leaders. We urge those interested to send us suggestion @ http://t.co/c1bwHoFk2Q #ChangeIndia — Dhiraj Nayyar (@nayyardhiraj) December 5, 2013