This week’s column is inspired by three things: the Clinton Global Initiative’s redefinition of the fight against poverty, the sight of cycle rickshaws in New York City and the dismal spectacle of corporate and bureaucratic India colluding to sell ‘Incredible India’ at 60.

Why? Groan. Why? When are we going to see that India would not need selling if we could deal with our more serious problems, of which poverty and the appalling state of our cities are among the most grim? What makes our failure to solve these problems especially depressing is that the solutions are simple.

The Clinton Global Initiative is showing the way. All we have to do is follow. What I have learned from lurking about the fringes of this initiative for the past two years is that Bill Clinton’s many years of administrative experience have taught him that often the reason why initiatives to eliminate poverty and deprivation fail is because delivery systems are cumbersome and bureaucratic. Simplifying these systems brings success.

The Clinton Foundation, of which the global initiative is a part, is only three years old and already it has shown how expensive HIV-AIDS drugs can be made available to the poor by persuading pharmaceutical companies to make generic versions available at minimal cost. Indian companies like Cipla and Ranbaxy are involved in this effort. This year the annual meeting concentrated on environmental issues and how we can all contribute by making little changes. Small things can make the big difference — like reusing plastic bottles and using bulbs that last longer and are more environment-friendly.

... contd.