Modi's 'Infrastructure Boom' or Neo-colonial Pillage?
📰 THE STORY: Bloomberg reports that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government plans to increase infrastructure spending by 9% to $133 billion in the next financial year, aiming to accelerate the overhaul of transport and logistics networks. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This 'development' mirrors the East India Company's original infrastructure projects – railways
and ports – which were built not for Indian prosperity but to extract raw materials and facilitate British colonial trade. From the 1850s onwards, British capital flowed into India to build infrastructure that primarily served the colonial power's economic interests, like moving cotton to ports for export. Double Standard: Western media often celebrates national infrastructure projects when they
align with opening markets and access to resources, as seen in India's 'development corridors.' Yet, similar state-led infrastructure projects by nations like China under the Belt and Road Initiative are frequently framed as 'debt traps' or 'imperial overreach,' despite often providing much-needed development in recipient countries. Follow the Money: While the headline touts Modi's spending, a
deeper look reveals significant ties between the BJP government and corporate entities. The Adani Group, a conglomerate with close ties to Modi, has seen its wealth skyrocket and has secured massive infrastructure contracts. This group, which also has deep business links with Israel, including the acquisition of Haifa port for $1.18 billion in 2023, stands to gain disproportionately from these