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� Privatise the public sector, including the welfare services.<br />

� Remove all controls placed on profiteering, even in essential services like drinking water,<br />

food, education and health.<br />

This restructuring of the Indian economy at the behest of India's foreign creditors has been<br />

given the high-sounding name of 'globalisation'. Since then, governments at the Centre and the<br />

states have continued to change, but the globalisation of the economy has continued unabated.<br />

Unbridled Corporate Plunder<br />

The essence of globalisation is that the Indian government is now running the economy<br />

solely for maximising the profits of giant foreign corporations – also known as Multinational<br />

Corporations (MNCs) – and India's big business houses. These corporations are on a no-holds<br />

barred looting spree. They are plundering mountains, rivers and forests for their immense natural<br />

wealth. They are seizing control of public sector corporations, created through the sweat and toil of<br />

the common people, at throwaway prices. Privatisation is also enabling them to enter essential<br />

services – including education, health, electricity, transport, even drinking water – and transform<br />

these into instruments of naked profiteering. Because these are essential services, the profits are<br />

huge.<br />

In this plunder, India's business houses can only be junior partners of the foreign MNCs,<br />

as the latter are gigantic: just 200 MNCs control a quarter of the global economic activity; dccxvii of<br />

the world's 100 largest economies, 51 are MNCs, and 49 are countries. dccxviii But that is all right<br />

with them, as their profits too are increasing. They are now not bothered about who is controlling<br />

the Indian economy, but only about filling their coffers.<br />

Hoarders and blackmarketeers are having a field day – as laws controlling their activities<br />

have been relaxed in the name of freeing the markets. The speculators are ecstatic – they have never<br />

had it so good. The swanky upper middle classes are also in raptures over globalization – the<br />

world’s most trendy consumer brands are now available in the country. The top Indian intellectuals<br />

and the media – faithful servants of the capitalist classes – have launched a massive propaganda<br />

offensive to convince the Indian people about the benefits of globalization. In sum, globalisation<br />

has become the consensus policy of India's elites. And since it is the elites, especially the big<br />

business houses, who finance and thereby control the political parties, all of them, irrespective of<br />

their colour, are implementing the economic 'reforms' wherever they are in power (in the Centre and<br />

the states).<br />

The government of India has given up all concern about the future of the country, about<br />

conserving the environment for our future generations, about the livelihoods of the people of the<br />

country, about making available essentials like food, water, health and education to the people at<br />

affordable rates so that they can live like human beings and develop their abilities to the fullest<br />

extent. It is now only concerned about how to provide new and profitable investment opportunities<br />

for foreign multinational corporations and their Indian collaborators. The invitation to foreign<br />

173

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