‘We follow a western way of doing things in economic system’: Muhammad Yunus

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday spoke with Nobel laureate and founder of the Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, and discussed ideas that could re-shape the post pandemic world. The duo delved into limitations of adopting a western economic model. Yunus called for making a new beginning towards a system that will create space for the informal and rural economy and all sections of society. “We follow a western way of doing things in the economic system. We don't see the vibrant capacity of people in India, Bangladesh. Their creativity has to be admired, but the government has chosen to stay away. Rural economy has become an appendix to the urban economy. Rural economy is the supplier of the labour,” Yunus said. The dialogue was part of a series launched by Gandhi ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has earlier talked to several experts, both in the economy and epidemiology, besides nurses and industrialists. Gandhi's last conversation was with four Indian nurses working in New Zealand, Australia, UK and India. He has also spoken to Raghuram Rajan, Abhijit Banerjee, Nicholas Burns among others.