India's rating falls in world competitiveness

By agencies   |   Thursday, 12 May 2005, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI:India has dropped to 39th rank this year from 34th position last year in the world competitiveness ratings. The IMD World Competitiveness Year Book, 2005, which was made public, says India continues to be dogged by problems on several fronts. They include the large poverty base, low levels of productivity, escalating infrastructure bottlenecks, high levels of unemployment and under-employment and poor public finance management. The IMD Book rates the United States, which is currently battered by several macro-economic problems, as the number one in competitiveness rankings, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, Iceland, Canada, Finland, and so on. China, the neighbor with whom India is now in hot pursuit to grab foreign investments, also came down the rankings ? from 31st position in 2005 from the 24th position last year. According to IMD India needs to prioritize improvements in key areas like energy infrastructure and water transportation to help boost the competitiveness rank. The IMD wants government to do away with subsidies, and improve customs? authorities that do not currently ?facilitate efficient transit of goods,? and elimination of bribing and corruption. Pollution problems too seriously affect your economy, it added. Observing that country?s tax policy is no substitute for competitiveness and the level and type of taxation can enhance or hinder competitiveness, but cannot create it, it said, the real engines of competitiveness are science, technology, entrepreneurship, finance, logistics, and education, areas in which India has a long way to go.