India needs to reawaken to the principle of equality

It is vitally important for us in India to maintain strong focus on containing the growth of economic inequality, and work actively to reduce it

The economic liberalisation that I was associated with in 1991-1996 and 2004-2014 was, above all, a process of opening up new opportunities for people born without social and economic privilege. This was for me the guiding vision behind our economic reforms. 

While economic growth remains a high priority for the country, there is now a growing  concern that the concomitant commitment to ensuring that disparities and inequality do not grow is weakening. This can be a serious potential threat to our democracy. Economists and development experts worldwide are today emphasising the grave danger to sustained growth from growing inequality. They