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Kelkar panel’s significant
recommendations
THE Kelkar Committee’s recommendations, which could help revamp the economy, should be taken in true spirits by the Central government. Withdrawal of subsidies in a phased manner, revamping the tax laws and tax administration and disinvestment of sick PSUs are some of the proposals recommended by the committee. With the government trying very hard to get the economy back on track, these recommendations could prove very helpful in the long run. These recommendations are also important because we don’t need SOS injections like FDI in retail and aviation to bail out the ailing economy. What we need is a long-term remedy, which could produce a long-running economic engine. Most of us will agree to it that prevention is better than cure. The address to the nation by the Prime Minister was more scary than motivational. So, policies which take India en route to sustainable and renewable development should be a regular affair rather than once-in-a decade event. I totally appreciate the announcements made by the government regarding FDI, but it should not have an ill effect on the general public. And more such decisions should be made keeping the next 20-25 years in mind. We boast of bright scientists, economists, politicians, social thinkers, entrepreneurs, sportspersons, educationists, etc, but are they being fully utilised in taking the nation to the next level. Has the Government run out of ideas? Yes , and this is the reason why we are banking on investments from abroad to get our economy on feet. I urge the government to invite the bright minds available in India to have their say in the building of a strong economy. SUMEET SETH, Karnal
II
The Kelkar committee has, ideally, advocated no subsidies. The government is pushing for these reforms by dishing out statistics regarding the number of people who would be directly affected by the diesel price increase (car owners, etc), actual LPG users and so on. The government is silent about the cascading effect that will be felt on the prices of all essential commodities whose price rise will hit hard every section of society, especially the poorest of the poor. The government talks in terms of small increases in prices and expects the common man to be satisfied with these figures. But figures cannot fill hungry stomachs. What the government is glossing over is the fact that the real income has totally eroded. A 100-rupee note has hardly any real purchasing power today. The corporate world may be gung-ho in terms of increasing foreign investments in this country. However, the ‘aam aadmi’ is worried about his daily bread for himself and his family. When the British ruled India, we had the East India Company from where looting of India began. Today, with the entry of foreign investments in various sectors, we have “Eat India Companies” entering our country and they are being happily encouraged by our own elected government. In its election manifesto, the Congress had promised to eradicate poverty. Today, in practice, they are literally eradicating the poor. Harischandra Parshuram, Mumbai
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Judges after retirement Though, by and large, India’s higher judiciary has been held in high esteem for integrity, erudition and quality of judgments, the fact that there have been quite a few black sheep in their ranks cannot be overlooked. There have been demands for policing the judges so that they don’t stray from the straight and narrow path of absolute integrity in the performance of their duties. Not very long ago, a couple of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of India came under severe criticism for not disclosing their assets and for failing to explain how their close relations became extraordinarily rich during the period they were Chief Justice. Also, a number of judges of the high courts were found to be guilty of corruption. After the decline of the quality of men in the executive and in the legislatures, a similar decline in the quality of men in the judiciary could be fatal for the country’s future. Therefore, one cannot but agree with BJP leader Arun Jaitley that if the highest standards in the country’s judiciary are to be maintained, the government of the day will better not keep the carrot of post-retirement employment hanging in front of them. A two-year cooling-off period for post-retirement employment of judges should be made mandatory so that the government of the day cannot influence the nature of judgments of the sitting judges by holding the carrot of reemployment after retirement in front of them. RJ Khurana, Bhopal
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