Notes from a quiet Goa beach on getting our tourism act together

India must exit its 'soft state' trap, effect a mindset shift in governance and make the most of its low-cost tourism potential

- SUDIPTO MUNDLE

As a climate refugee from toxic Delhi temporarily in Goa, I cannot help wondering: if cities like Tokyo, London, Beijing and others that had high levels of pollution were able to clean up their air, what prevents Delhi from doing the same?

In his voluminous tome, The Asian Drama, Gunnar Myrdal introduced the concept of the 'soft state.' He was really writing about South Asia, especially India, with barely any mention of the 'miracle economies' of East Asia. He characterized the Indian state as a 'soft state,' implying a government with limited capacity, unable to unwind a gridlock of competing interests that sucked up and dissipated scarce resources. This preempted the high growth necessary for reducing widespread poverty. India is now a fast-growing economy and poverty is much reduced, but regulatory failure to clean up the air in Delhi under successive governments suggests that the 'soft state' still prevails.