Noted industrialist Adi Godrej on Saturday warned that the rising intolerance, hate crimes and moral policing could “seriously damage” economic growth.
Mr. Godrej, however, congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on presenting a “grand vision” to build a new India and nearly double the economy to a $5-trillion giant over the course of his second term in office.
He was quick to add that all was not well, and pointed out a slew of concerns on the social front, warning of their impact on growth as well.
“It’s not all a rosy picture now. One must not lose sight of the massive impoverishment plaguing our nation which can seriously damage the pace of growth going forward and prevent us from realising our potential,” Mr. Godrej warned addressing a gathering to celebrate the 150th anniversary of his alma mater St Xavier’s College.
The industrialist warned that economic growth would be affected if “rising intolerance, social instability, hate crimes, violence against women, moral policing, caste and religion-based violence and many other sorts of intolerance that are rampant” were not contained to ensure social harmony.
He said unemployment was at 6.1%, a four-decade high, and should be tackled at the earliest.
The “massive” water crisis, growing use of plastics and the crippling medical facilities, courtesy the healthcare spend being the lowest among its emerging-market peers, were some of the other issues that must be tackled.
