ENTERING THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY
With the fast changes taking place in almost every sphere in the world it has become difficult to guess how we enter the twenty first century. Still there are certain things about which one can be almost sure. Global financial resources have already been centralized and almost monopolized by World Bank and International Monetary Fund. They are the biggest lending authority. The other big force that has developed as a big capital market is the European Union. Japan that is an important member of G8 , the most developed nations , has also gained an enviable monetary status in the world.Sarve gunah Kanchanamashrayante i.e. all virtues lie in one who has a command over gold . The world is expected to enter the 21st century dominated by this new group of lending agencies.
It may look strange that Alfred Nobel the inventor of dynamic and the one who owned the biggest ammunition industry left his fortune to award prize for peace. The world forces have become wise still. America would talk of Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but would supply arms and ammunitions to backward countries – to Pakistan to fight India. China too supplies arms and passes on nuclear know how to underdeveloped countries in Asia and Africa. The world is heading towards disturbances – may be the 21st century is welcomed with large scale increase in the production of arms and ammunitions. Small nations may have conflicts as seen in Afghanistan. The big nations would just enjoy the fun – a creation of their own. But if mass consciousness awakes the world may enter the new century not with weapon of mass destruction but mass aversions for them.
The process of the policy of liberalization in India has opened the fluid gates of business and Industry for the multinationals. By the end of the century the whole pattern in sales and manufacture is expected to be under the full control of the foreign investors and their subsidiaries. Sophisticated business management and production are computer and capital oriented. They would not require more than twenty percent of the man power engaged at present. If no alternative sources of employment are available India will enter the 21st century with an army of unemployed people. It would have both skilled and unskilled ones.
The official statistical data asserts 2.1 per cent growth rate in population in India. Unofficial agencies put it at 2.5 per cent. More than one billion people in India crossed the fences that separated 2000 from 2001 at midnight.
Health prospects, throughout the world, are considered serious for the beginning of third millennium. According to a World Health Organization projection cancer may be number one killer throughout the world when we enter 21st century. AIDS too has come to stay in developing countries. We may enter the new century passing by the graves of millions of people who died of the malignant disease. Millions of HIV Positive and millions of people with full- blown cases would follow the procession.