In an interview to this paper, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said that he had never downplayed growth for redistribution. He had, instead, tried to stress the importance of education and investment in a sound social infrastructure to attain and sustain growth. He is correct. No nation has grown out of poverty to prosperity without taking care of the basic needs of its people.

Europe’s enlightenment and reformation laid the ground for religious and cultural freedoms, which made scientific enquiry possible. This led to breakthroughs in knowledge and the spread of education to all classes of people, from the confines of the Church. Over time, improvements in medicine and healthcare helped cure the sick and extend human life spans. Growth and prosperity followed.Asia’s miracle economies are often cited as cases where growth stumped all other priorities. A closer examination would show that the idea is false: South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and China all stressed education, healthcare and social reform along with their stress on export-led growth. Most of these nations achieved near-universal literacy by the time their growth spurts began.India is still a long way from achieving that goal. The commentariat wisdom on TV that any investment in building up an educated, healthy and rational population consists of freebies, is wrong. Health, educational and food subsidies are necessary to get rid of discrimination, ignorance and hunger.Sen says, correctly, that a prime minister who evokes fear and suspicion among minorities is not an acceptable one. Long-term development flourishes in open societies, which give their citizens the right to inquire into anything, speak freely and stand up for their rights. Without openness and liberal values, long-term prosperity is doomed.