I don’t believe in God: Amartya

Sen was addressing a meet-the-press programme at the Calcutta Press Club.There is no ideal economy in the world in terms of fulfilling human goals and every economy has something to be criticised and learnt from, Sen further said.

Stating it was “very difficult” to pinpoint a country which had the best economy in terms of human goals, he said “There is no model country to put forward. Every country has skeletons in its cupboards.”

The exponent of welfare economics pointed out that successful economies in Europe had to cope with growing unemployment, while the problem of inequality inhealthcare was glaring in the US. “Every economy has something to be criticised and learnt from.”

Calling for adequate’ government leadership for proper utilisation of the market, he said it depended on factors like land reforms, education, healthcare and protection of backward industries. NGO’s and the media also had a role in ensuring that the market was properly utilised.

In a separate issue, Sen said the recent attack on Iraq by the US and Britain had not changed his criticism of India’s nuclear blast in Pokhran as also the policy by which the power to control nuclear arms was vested in a handful of countries.

Asked whether he would still criticise the Pokhran blasts after the recent US-Britain attack on Iraq and whether attaining nuclear capability was not necessary to check such aggressions, he said it was not correct to think on such lines. “I am ready to criticise Pokhran (blasts) even after (the attack on) Iraq. The nuclear policy by which only a handful of countries have the control overnuclear power is also not right,” Sen said.

Referring to the huge defence spending by some countries at the cost of development, he quoted a UN report prepared by economist Mehboob-ul-Huq of Pakistan to say that 85 per cent of the world’s armament market was controlled by five members of the Security Council. “I don’t see this being criticised anywhere,” he regretted.