Reference News Network August 1 report: The U.S. "Wall Street Journal" website published an article titled "India Is Losing Its Best Talent" on July 30. The author is Sadaanand Dume, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The following is a translated summary:

Indian media have published countless articles praising Western Indian tech executives. Among the educated Indians, Sundar Pichai of Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, and Arvind Krishna of International Business Machines (IBM) are all Indian-born CEOs of American technology companies and well-known names.

Indian writer and journalist Sanjay Baru believes that Indians lack sufficient awareness of the country's continuous brain drain. In his new book "Exit of the Successful," he points out that nearly 1.9 million Indians gave up their nationalities between 2011 and 2023. This is only a small portion of India's 1.45 billion population, but it includes some of the most talented engineers, doctors, and scientists in India.

A 2023 paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that 36% of the top 1,000 students who passed the rigorous Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) entrance exam in 2010 had emigrated eight years later, with most going to the United States. Among the top 10 students in that year's exam, the emigration rate reached as high as 90%.

Why do so many Indians leave India, yet few return? Economic opportunities are one important reason. According to purchasing power parity (a measure that accounts for the lower cost of most goods and services in poor countries), India's per capita GDP is $11,000, about one-eighth of the United States' $86,000.

But this is not just about money. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist born in India and winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, pointed out that the lack of infrastructure, excessive bureaucracy, and political interference, as well as overly complex rules, make it difficult for India to attract research talent. India's investment in research accounts for only 0.6% to 0.7% of its GDP, far below that of the United States and China.

Urban squalor is another issue. Gurgaon, a bustling suburb of Delhi, pays a large portion of Haryana's taxes. However, due to the lack of urban planning and the political class being constrained by rural voters, Gurgaon has no proper drainage system. Videos showing luxury cars in Gurgaon submerged in murky rainwater are common on Indian social media. In the wealthiest neighborhoods of Bangalore, streets are piled with rotting garbage. Delhi has some of Asia's most expensive real estate, yet also has some of the worst air quality in the world.

Baru believes that the rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the West may make it easier for India to retain or attract back some of its best talents. However, the deeper causes of the brain drain—a political and intellectual culture that prioritizes redistribution justice over individual excellence—may be difficult to overcome. (Translated by Zhu Jie)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533531711158649379/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the [up/down] buttons below.