Former Union Minister for Disinvestment and noted journalist Arun Shourie has suggested 15 steps to remove India’s growth hiccups and to put the country in a higher growth trajectory.

Delivering the 13th memorial lecture organised by the FedBank Hormis Foundation, Shourie said the first lesson that India should learn is to face the facts. Do not go by declarations but go by the facts, he said.

The country should also learn to change in tune with the times. Incremental steps to change are no longer enough. A tectonic shift in approaches is needed, he said.

According to Shourie, being excellent in one or a few sectors is not enough anymore. Being a large country, India should excel in sectors across the board, he said.

It being a heartless world which leaves no room for second rates, a country of India’s size should be first rate in all spheres, Shourie added.

He pointed out that the country should be able to own up the facts rather than shying away from them. The country should muster the courage to shed shibboleths and old habits.

Building partnership across the spectrum of the society is an important step towards success. Giving more powers to States by devolving it from the Centre is also important, Shourie added.

Federal Bank Chairman Abraham Koshi, Bank’s MD and CEO Shyam Srinivasan, ED Abraham Chacko, FBOA General Secretary Paul Mundadan and Raju Hormis, CSR Head, Federal Bank, also spoke.