大象传媒

India's lower house of parliament has 543 representatives. But only 79 of them are under the age of 40. Business leaders and politicians say many more young and talented Indians would join the public sector if the system were fair. Speaking at a plenary session of the India Economic Summit, opposition leader Arun Jaitley said that Indian politics doesn't offer enough incentives, and in some cases fails to even let the good get on with the job.

Major companies operating in the private sector agree that they offer an attractive alternative to those looking to make a difference.

But Ben Verawaayen, Chief Executive Officer of telecommunications firm Alcatel-Lucent says a healthy public-private balance is the key to India's future.

“It is true that there are many entrepreneurial people here who are seeking the opportunity and want to form it in their own way and with their own views. And that is what you do in the private sector. Now I think the public sector will benefit from working together with the private sector in the execution phase. I don't think there is anything wrong with the target setting; I don't think there is anything wrong with the aspiration.”

India has long debated the need for new, young leaders. But experts say it's not just about getting them into positions of power, but making sure they want to stay in it for the long term.

Nidhi Dutt