Street Smart

Jaipur to Delhi, 300Km, 5 hours, countless bumps.

When on the road in India, I noticed that most of the trucks on the road were local, i.e. registered in the state that we were travelling in. Its pretty easy to tell in India, all plates begin with 2 letters denoting the state. Just now, I chanced upon an article in FinanceAsia on India's insfrastructure deficit. In many Asian countries 7-8% of GDP is routinely earmarked for infrastructure creation. In China, 9% of GDP was spent in 2005 ($201 billion). In India, the number is about 3.5%. This explains why it takes 5 hours to cover 300km. Apart from hindering travel, the article reckons that the overall economic loss due to a lack of an efficient highway system is estimated at $4.5-$6.5billion a year. Infrastructure is the lifeline of an economy if the financial system is the heart. Its hard to imagine solid growth without proper infrastructure which is why I'm bearish on India despite the India China Bull run.
*300Km takes barely over 2 hours on the Autobahn