Safety, a cost and an opportunity

If safety standards are raised carefully, not only will the public become safer, but the GDP can also grow a little faster

Cyclone Michaung is wreaking havoc in Tamil Nadu. Though 41 construction workers were finally saved from the collapsed Silkyara tunnel after 17 days of rescue operations in Uttarakhand, this happy ending is more the exception than the rule in India.

The lack of safety is actually all-pervasive and runs deep in the Indian system. There is a need for the expansion of safety features in constructions, transport arrangements, working conditions, scavenging, public places, tourism, hospitals, educational institutions, and so on. And, of course, there is a need for air, water, and food that are safe. Also, we need greater safety