'Racism = The Economist': British Magazine Gets Called Out For Referencing India's Poverty In Article On Wildlife Conservation Success

British news magazine The Economist was on Tuesday accused of adopting a racist and patronising attitude towards India after it referred to the country as "relatively poor" in an article about tiger conservation.

The article, published on October 4, praised India's success in wildlife conservation, and said that it "holds lessons for other environmental efforts". It said that it was "extraordinary that India, still a relatively poor country, can achieve something as selfless as protecting other creatures".

Accusations of racism

The reference to India's poverty in an article about the conservation of wildlife sparked several sharp reactions on social media.

"Racism = The Economist," communications expert Smita Deshmukh remarked on X. "They just can't help themselves about India. Zero understanding of our huge history and civilisation on conservation."

Social media user Niveditha Panda remarked that the British news magazine needed a history lesson "on how India lost nearly 95% of its tiger population and why it had to launch the Project tiger for conservation & about our economic condition". She questioned why The Economist did not say "who looted India’s wealth in the first place".

Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan said that the article was a recognition of India’s conservation journey, and that he was happy to have been part of the team that executed these efforts on the field. "Yet it’s telling that the narrative still finds room to diminish the achievement with unrelated criticism," he remarked on X.

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