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With GDP Politics Turning Murkier; Save Statistics from Politicians
- Published on 30 August 2018
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UPA’s Tainted GDP vs NDA’s Clean GDP
(Image Courtesy: taxindiaonline.com)
Gross domestic product (GDP) is no longer expressed in black and white. GDP is now painted in different shades. It can be tainted too in Indian political narrative. And this was amply demonstrated last week by Modi Government.
It fired all cylinders to ridicule a news agency story dug from an official report that was lying unnoticed in public domain since 25th July 2018. The story quoted data from the report of Committee on Real Sector Statistics (CRSS) to show that GDP grew faster under UPA than under NDA.
The story also referred to UPA recording double digit growth in two years. This emerged after CRSS linked old GDP data series with new data series.
CRSS was one of the five committees constituted by National Statistical Commission (NSC) for statistical improvements. The fifth panel is yet to submit its report.
Apart from phoo-phooing the story, the Government also downgraded the official report from final one to the draft one. It did the same for three other NSC reports too. As an after-thought, the Government inserted an identical page in all reports, seeking public comments on the reports.
All the four reports were shifted from prominent display on home page of website of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (mospi.gov.in) to a spot that most visitors would miss (http://www.mospi.gov.in/nsc_draft_reports). This is ultimate proof of Government’s half-hearted commitment towards transparency.
Cacophony Against Amending Constitution is Music for the Ignorant
- Published on 20 January 2018
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Indian Constitution (Image Courtesy: World Digital Library)
“Look at our new constitution drafted by Dr. Ambedkar. There is nothing new in it. He has mostly copied out either the Government of India Act of 1935 or, as admitted by himself, has drawn from the constitutions of other countries. A bit from here and a bit from there - it is a Pandora’s Box…. My biggest complaint on this account is that if for the purpose of drafting a constitution he had to copy out the constitutions of other countries, then why did he not embody the latest and the best constitution?....He has retained all the bad points that he could lay his hands upon”.
Thank God. This was not an outburst from Union Minister of State for Employment and Skill Development Anant kumar Hegde. He was last month hounded out by self-styled sentinels of democracy. Mr. Hegde was forced to apologize in Parliament for hinting at a rally that BJP-led NDA Government would amend the Constitution.
The quoted harsh words were uttered by Maulana Hasrat Mohani in the Constituent Assembly (CA) on 4th November 1948. And this was neither an isolated attack on the drafted constitution nor on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the Chief architect of the Constitution and Messiah of Dalits.
Certain other CA members too picked holes in the Draft. A few even questioned the competence and legitimacy of non-elected CA to frame a constitution, representing ostensibly as the will of the people.
Before discussing the need of framing a new Constitution, one more quote from Constituent Assembly Debates (CAD) would make discourse meaningful.
The Rulers’ Indifference Towards CAG reflects Policy Paralysis
- Published on 30 December 2017
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(Image Courtesy: taxindiaonline.com)
Policy Paralysis (PP) was one of the catch phrases that enabled BJP-led NDA to defeat Congress-led UPA in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Has PP ended?
The answer is both Yes and No. Yes because there has been modest increase in policy decisions taken by NDA. Couple this with terrific marketing of repackaged schemes and policies. NDA’s performance is thus slightly better than UPA’s.
And no because Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports, presented during the winter session and earlier, show that bad governance continues to rock as it did under the UPA. Certain indicators, in fact, imply that misgovernance has risen under the Modi Government.
Anyone can arrive at this conclusion by comparing the observations, conclusions and recommendations made by CAG every year in its reports on different ministries. Three years is adequate period to judge ruling alliance’s passion or aversion for policy paralysis.
If continuation of same errors, same indifference, same revenue leakages, same fiscal opacity and same deficiencies under NDA is not policy paralysis, then what it is?
Has ‘Transforming India’ lost its Inspirational Magic?
- Published on 03 August 2017
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Image Courtesy: transformingindia.mygov.in
Has #TransformingIndia & its theme song, Mera Desh Badal Raha Hai, Aage Badh Raha Hai, lost its appeal after two year of its launch? How is its fate different from that of a typical bollywood Song? Who, for instance, now sings Choli Ke Peeche Kaya Hai that was once a rage even in Pakistan?
The reason for tossing the issue of projecting growth through propaganda is that this slogan and its theme song was hardly trumpeted during the recent ModiFest. It was organized to celebrate achievements of Modi Government on completion of three years.
ModiFest instead focused on New India with theme song Saath Hai, Vishwaas Ha; Ho Raha Vikas Hai. It appears that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has learnt from history of voters’ fatigue from empty political slogans.
Recall how the slogan ‘India Shining’ backfired on Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government in 2004 Lok Sabha polls. No wonder then that Mr Modi ever recalled ‘An Agenda for A Proud, Prosperous India’ that helped BJP win 1999 Lok Sabha polls to form NDA-I Government. Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s slogan Garibi Hato nowadays invites derision from all.
With such perspective, no analyst has thus raised hackles at the black-out of ‘Transforming India’ from the assumption speech delivered by the new President Ram Nath Kovind.
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