Harish Manwani AGM Speech 2012 Tcm114 297226
RURAL INDIA – AN EMERGING POWERHOUSE
Harish Manwani - 2012
RURAL INDIA – AN EMERGING POWERHOUSE
Section One: Introduction
It is often said that there are two Indias – Bharat which exists in the villages and India which thrives in the urban areas. If our country has to have real progress and make its mark on the global stage, then these two Indias must converge.
Prosperity will have to come to our villages, towns and cities.
Rural India – An Emerging Powerhouse was the subject of the speech, delivered by Mr. Harish Manwani,
Chairman, Hindustan Unilever Limited, at the Annual General Meeting, held on 23 July 2012.
We have made good progress in the last two decades. There is new hope and a new sense of energy that is driving rural
India. As aspirations grow and consumption rises, rural hinterland is becoming the epicentre of our growth story.
But we must do more. Millions of people in rural India still live below the poverty line. There are a number of issues related to health, education and sanitation which need urgent attention. Agricultural growth is critical and needs to pick up.
Our agricultural productivity is among the lowest in the world and even slight improvements in yields will have a significant impact on overall growth. And yet we must go beyond agriculture if we have to make a real impact on the millions who live in rural India.
As rural India rises, growth will bring its own challenges. It will put further pressure on our scarce resources. The explosion in rural consumption and growing competition for scarce resources demands that we embrace a new collaborative model of development. All stakeholders – government,
NGOs, civil society and corporates – have a role in enabling
01
this growth while overcoming the attendant challenges. With the right kind of public-private partnerships we can address these challenges by finding innovative solutions and build on the opportunities.
Section Two: Progress in Rural India
Mahatma Gandhi often said that India
Harish Manwani - 2012
RURAL INDIA – AN EMERGING POWERHOUSE
Section One: Introduction
It is often said that there are two Indias – Bharat which exists in the villages and India which thrives in the urban areas. If our country has to have real progress and make its mark on the global stage, then these two Indias must converge.
Prosperity will have to come to our villages, towns and cities.
Rural India – An Emerging Powerhouse was the subject of the speech, delivered by Mr. Harish Manwani,
Chairman, Hindustan Unilever Limited, at the Annual General Meeting, held on 23 July 2012.
We have made good progress in the last two decades. There is new hope and a new sense of energy that is driving rural
India. As aspirations grow and consumption rises, rural hinterland is becoming the epicentre of our growth story.
But we must do more. Millions of people in rural India still live below the poverty line. There are a number of issues related to health, education and sanitation which need urgent attention. Agricultural growth is critical and needs to pick up.
Our agricultural productivity is among the lowest in the world and even slight improvements in yields will have a significant impact on overall growth. And yet we must go beyond agriculture if we have to make a real impact on the millions who live in rural India.
As rural India rises, growth will bring its own challenges. It will put further pressure on our scarce resources. The explosion in rural consumption and growing competition for scarce resources demands that we embrace a new collaborative model of development. All stakeholders – government,
NGOs, civil society and corporates – have a role in enabling
01
this growth while overcoming the attendant challenges. With the right kind of public-private partnerships we can address these challenges by finding innovative solutions and build on the opportunities.
Section Two: Progress in Rural India
Mahatma Gandhi often said that India