Indian government's demonetisation exercise and the impasse in Indo-Pak ties over Kashmir are among the major issues to be discussed at this year's India Conference at the prestigious Harvard University in the US.
During the 14th annual edition of Harvard India Conference - one of the largest in the western hemisphere - university students over the weekend would deliberate on issues related to this year's theme 'India: The Global Growth Engine.'
Rahul Srinivasan, one of the organisers of the two-day conference being jointly organised by the students of Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School, said an exciting array of growth initiatives within India has ignited a positive spark in the global community.
As a result, eminent international institutions, financial companies, top global organisations and thought-leaders are now looking towards India to lead global change, he said.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior Pakistani leader Mushahid Hussain Sayed will join a panel discussion on Kashmir, during which the two leaders and other panelists will share different perspectives on why this conflict has persisted for over seven decades.
Students organisers said it is also an exploration of possible paths to peace and conflict resolution in the region.
Through this panel, Harvard students want to find out if there are reasons for young people on both sides of the border and in Kashmir to be hopeful about the future.
A panel of eminent economists - Abhijit Banerjee, Bhaskar Chakravorti, Kenneth Rogoff and Jeffrey Frankel - would respond to queries on demonetisation policy of the Indian government, which was promoted as an attack on blackmoney and a way to digitise India's cash-heavy economy.
It is unclear if these objectives were achieved, and the short and long term impacts of this policy continue to be debated, organisers said.
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In addition to keynote talks across both days, students are also hosting themed panel discussions on transgender rights, urbanisation, India-Pakistan relationship, India's justice system, gender-based violence and the agriculture and food sector.
Former Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi would deliver a keynote address on 'What's stopping the largest democracy from becoming the greatest'.
Harvard India Conference organisers believe there are some fundamental flaws in the 'political culture' that need to be corrected. These include criminalisation of politics, money power in election leading to vicious cycle of corruption, high illiteracy and low representation of women in politics.
Quraishi and Sugata Bose will discuss questions like- What electoral reforms do we need to strengthen this democracy? How willing are political parties to bring about these reforms? What are the roadblocks we can expect in this process?
In another keynote address Abdullah will share his views on the key challenges and opportunities facing India based on his experience in Indian political life.
Moreover, in the face of the rising challenge of fundamentalism across the globe, he will talk about the role of India as a secular nation.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, actor R Madhavan, actor-turned politician Pawan Kalyan, filmmaker Deepa Mehta, journalist Rajat Sharma and Indian-American philanthropist Gururaj 'Desh' Deshpande will be the other prominet speakers at the conference.
