India has an image problem, warns Stiglitz

Nobel laureate and American economist Joseph E. Stiglitz has warned India about its image problem, chiefly its handling of students and NGOs.

Stiglitz, who was in Bengaluru on Wednesday to give a lecture on “Global inequality — causes and consequences,” said India’s image has taken a beating globally, especially as a result of the Modi government’s policy to crackdown on NGOs and students of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

“India should be aware that it has an image problem abroad. It should be a matter of concern that NGO’s are subjected to a condition that makes it difficult for them to operate. This has got a lot of attention abroad. There are very few governments that have made it difficult for NGOs to operate. Also, very few countries, mainly authoritarian ones, have engaged in the harassment of students in universities. These two events have had a strong effect on public opinion abroad,” The Mint business paper quoted Stiglitz as saying.

“It puts [India] in the club of countries such as Egypt, Russia and Turkey. Most people in India will not want to be in this group. These events have also have been in the spotlight and have had an effect foreign investors,” he added.

Stiglitz said with India growing in the global economy, this was not how it should be portraying itself.

Speaking about the state of Indian economy, Stiglitz said the country should look at a high rate of growth and give lesser importance to inflation.