India to emerge as major regional power
by 2015: Report
India will emerge as an unparalleled
regional and economic power by the year 2015 and its growth along with
China and Russia may form a "de facto geo-strategic alliance" to
counterbalance US and western influence, a US National Intelligence Council
projection for 2015 has said.
The size of India's population --1.2 billion by 2015 -- and its technologically
driven economic growth virtually dictate that India will be a rising regional
power, it said.
The report also points out that the international community will have to
deal with the military, political and economic dimensions of the rise of China
and India and the continued decline of Russia.
The future being contemplated by intelligence officials is part of a
long-ranging forecasting endeavour compiled in the National Intelligence
Council 2015 Project which seeks to come up with a range of scenarios the
world could face then.
The council is made up of senior analysts who advise Director of Central
Intelligence George J Tenet. The study was
undertaken in consultation with a wide range of think tanks and non-official
experts.
Among developing countries, India will remain in the forefront in developing
information technology, led by a growing class of high-tech workers and
entrepreneurs, the report says.
"India's relatively strong educational system, democracy and English
language skills position it well to take advantage of gains related to
information technology," the projections reveal.
India, nevertheless, faces enormous challenges in spreading the benefits of
growth to hundreds of millions of impoverished, often illiterate citizens,
particularly in the northern states.
"India will strengthen its role as a regional power, but many
uncertainties about the effects of global trends on its society cast doubts on
how far India will go. India faces growing extremes between wealth and poverty,
a mixed picture on natural resources, and problems with internal
governance," it warned.
(source: http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/06ind.htm
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