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The two-day long Hindustan Times (HT) Leadership Summit was held in the Capital on November 15 and 16 amidst a conglomeration of eminent leaders from all across the world. Leaders in their own fields, who brought to the fore various issues confronting our country and the world as a whole, voiced their opinions and views on important social, economic and political matters. This gathering of world leaders aimed to evolve a roadmap for economic and social transformation and sustainable development.
The theme of this year's summit was: 'Building A Better Future'. Key issues that were deliberated upon in the summit covered aspects as diverse as the 'perils and promises of the new world' on the one hand to 'the role of the celebrity in influencing public policy' on the other.
In her welcome address, Shobhana Bhartia, Vice Chairperson, HT Media Ltd., said, "Global events impact India now more than ever before, like any other truly globalised economy." This new globalised India was at the centre of all the discussions that followed throughout the day.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the summit and delivered the keynote address. He went on to applaud the media conglomerate, The Hindustan Times Group, for its efforts in providing a platform to discuss and debate ideas as well as issues in an "argumentative" society like ours. Elaborating on the theme of this year's summit, Dr. Singh said, "This year, the conference has given itself a broad theme: 'Building A Better Future'. The challenge facing our nation is to address the fundamental aspect of development. Building a better future requires us to provide education for all; to provide access to better health facilities; to provide adequate housing and sanitation; to provide a 'liveable' environment in villages and cities."
The need of the hour according to the Prime Minister is: "infrastructure, which is world-class and cater to the needs of a rising population." He said, "Our cities, which shelter a third of our population should not be ignored. Looking at the current pace of urbanisation, the day is not far off when over 50 per cent of India's population will be residing in urban areas."
The Prime Minister also emphasised the need for "walking on two legs --- of equity and efficiency" to take the nation forward. "If we do not pay attention to the questions of equity and social justice and allow only market forces and individual enterprise to thrive, we will be pursuing a socially and politically unsustainable path of development," he said.
Dr. Singh warned against the wasteful subsidies in the country and said, "We need to put a check on wasteful subsidies while targeting these to the genuinely needy and disadvantaged."
Following the Prime Minister, who laid out the path for building a better future for India, was Congress President and UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who unveiled her vision of how to tread the path for a better future. She said, "For building a better future, without any doubt, faster economic growth is essential. Clearly, enhanced investment in economic, social and physical infrastructure is crucial. But in addition to all of this, I believe we need to give a whole new momentum to public action."
The UPA chief outlined the role of voluntary organisations and of the media in facilitating discourse, articulating alternative visions of the future and at the same time holding those in power accountable for their promises. She said, "It's important to keep the dialogue alive by the two sides talking to each other rather than at each other."
While talking about the role played by the media, Gandhi said, "I must acknowledge the role that our media is playing in highlighting the accomplishments of both individuals and groups. There is a vast army of professionals: of educated and talented young men and women whose vision of a better future is to work for the betterment of the lives of the less fortunate." Despite that, she hoped that the Indian media would play a greater role in highlighting the contribution of the less fortunate.
Still on the subject of media and it's role in the society, Gandhi sardonically remarked, "Good news in media is rarely news. In fact, it probably means bad business for media. But it is good if the media forget this basic rule once in a while."
In a brief question and answer session that followed her speech, Gandhi spoke about the controversial Volcker report on the Oil- for food scam and claimed that "swift action" would be taken against those found to be guilty.
The opening session of the first day began with a discussion on 'Entering The Fortune 500: How Do Indian Companies Go Global?' On the panel were Charlotte Croswell (Head, Nasdaq International) and M. Damodaran (Chairman, SEBI) along with Ravi Narain (MD and CEO, National Stock Exchange) as the moderator. Croswell explained how corporations could survive and prosper in an increasingly competitive world.
For the second session William S. Cohen, Former US Secretary of Defense, delivered the keynote speech on 'The Perils And Promise Of A New World'. Anita Roddick (Former Chairperson, Body Shop) and Sunil Bharti Mittal (Chairman and Group Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises) had a lively debate in the session titled, 'Can Shareholders' Value And Service To Society Co-exist?' The moderator for this session was Omkar Goswami.
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