ASHA: Discussion group: meeting #2

[Subramanya Sastry <sastry@cs.wisc.edu>]

Hello all!

This is the last time that a mail will be sent out on the Asha & Chingari
lists.  The discussion group will be meeting for the second time tomorrow,
Tue, 18th May, at 6:30 pm at the Memorial Union.  Please check TITU under
"Asha Discussion Group" for the room.

Agenda:
-> Go over the "framework" proposed below.
-> Is there something missing?
-> What are the questions we want to address -> Pick 2-3 questions for now.
-> Come up with a format for the discussions.

I'm also enclosing a brief summary of the minutes of the last meeting.  If
anyone is interested, I can send them the detailed mail that was sent out on
the diff mailing list.. 

Subbu. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This mail will try to outline the broad goals of the discussion group and
outline a framework in which we'll raise questions, discuss them and try to
identify solutions for the same.  The goal is to go beyond "mere information" 
and to empower ourselves to act for change.

The ultimate goal is to answer the question: 
   "How can India transition to the status of a developed country?" 

In answering this question, we have to address more questions.
-> What do we mean by "development"?
    Clearly, "development" means different things to different people.
    This should be one of the FIRST things that we should address.
    We should bring up all the models of development that exist out there
    and study them.  NOTE: the notion of development that we agree upon
    need not be abstruse theories of development, but could be based on
    a set of very simple concepts.  Example: "People first".
-> Given an agreed upon notion of "development", how do we get there?
    To answer this, we first need to identify the roadblocks on the
    path to development and understand how they impede development.
    All the questions that were brought up in the first meeting should
    be understood in this context.

All the questions that were raised in the meeting have been classified into
the following categories: Developmental Models, Literacy, Economic problems,
Population, Media, Attitude of people, The "system", Urban-Rural divide, and
Others (unemployment, environment, etc.).