Has The Economist gone overboard in criticizing our Mars mission

[vgane]

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On reading this article from The Economist, I was flummoxed...Shocked beyond words! How can they criticize the Mars mission (which costed us Rs 450 crores which is a pittance)...Are they jealous of our progress...Why are they calling India as a poor country....It carries lot of racist overtones...

The Economist explains: How can poor countries afford space programmes? | The Economist

 

[vgane]

Should India a developing nation afford USD 72 Million for the Mars mission...A similar dilemma was there in US in 1970 for their Mars mission...The question was raised by a nun and answered by German born but American atomic and rocket scientist Dr Ernst Stuhlinger..Wonderful response by him

Why Explore Space? A 1970 Letter to a Nun in Africa | Roger Launius's Blog

 

[Vaagmi]

Thanks for giving the link. Stuhlinger's reply was brilliant. I liked it.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

The problem is that we take articles written in journals and news papers like economist very seriously. These should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve.

 

[Nara]

"Donors may not be mollified (Britain, for example, is winding down its aid to India). But any aid programme has to be justified in the face of other waste, which can be far costlier than space programmes."

What a thing to say by the erstwhile colonial masters who plundered the nation and let millions of Indians starve. For a more balanced look at poverty and hunger in India and the so called "aid" UK gives take a look at this Guardian article:

Is India ready to refuse UK aid? | Madeleine Bunting | Global development | theguardian.com

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

I remember the articles the newspapers and journals from U.S, U.K and the West wrote when we first tested our nuclear weapon. Then we had a whole lot of Indians especially Tamil Brahmins who were against it because they were afraid of not getting the Visa.

 

[biswa]

India cannot afford the Haj subsidies either. Neither can it afford the IPL.

The "Bread and Circuses" show goes on.

 

[Nacchinarkiniyan]

Can you afford all the freebies that the Tamil Nadu government is giving away? No one seems to have a problem with that. The government is giving subsidy to Billionaires. All of them get subsidized gas cylinder and ration articles. And no one bothers. I have never had a ration card. Now I do not have an Adhaar card. Adhaar card again is Rs.1000 crore down the drain.