Whispers Forum

India's economy is slipping out of Govt's hands. At least, so it seems. Is the negative impacts of De-monetisation and GST, showing up, feel experts ? As a layman, I find no reason to dis-believe those who have been opposing the successive government initiatives.
The dictum of Statistics, damned statistics and the Lies, is not always applicable. CSO statistics can no longer be manipulated .
GDP quarterly growth rate, is at 6 years low ; 5% this quarter as compared to 5.8% in previous quarter.
Some pertinent questions.
Why is the GoI totally reticent about appropriating 1.76 lakh crores INR forcibly taken from the RBI. FM refuses to answer. Silence is baffling.
Indian public will always stand solidly behind it. Total lack of transparency about the manner in which the public exchequer is proposed to be misused ?
The government's hush-hush mode raises serious suspicions in public mind.
The nation wants to know the truth.
Worse still, in the midst of all this, reasons for mega merger of 10 PSU banks into 4, remains a riddle inside an enigma wrapped in mystery.
What about recapitalisation of banks by infusing 70,000 crores of rupees into banking sector.
The Modi sarkar is extremely extravagant, allergic to taking austerity measures and conserve resources. Expenditure on publicity for trumpeting government's achievements, is criminal waste of money. Throwing the money down the drain. Taking the gullible public for a ride.
Who is advising the ruling government in decision-taking ?
Are bureaucrats the ultimate custodians of all wisdoms? The public as the largest Stake-holder is not taken into confidence. Never, ever.
One useful suggestion for consideration of Modi sarkar.
All discretionary powers of the Executive, political as well as permanent, must be drastically curtailed. The Financial Advisors are not performing their duties diligently. Always willing to please their political masters.
And, about the C&AG, less said the better.
A K Saxena ( A former civil servant)
New book by NCS
Dr N C Saxena is a revered figure in the civil services. Topper of the 1964 batch, he can be said to be the "best Cabinet Secretary India never had". Ph.D. from Oxford, his academic credentials are no less impressive. His book "What Ails the IAS and Why it Fails to Deliver" has come out but is unlikely to be a best seller. The reason is that on top of the cover, there is blurb from Mr Harsh Mandar IAS (Retd.). Mr Mandar was a hardworking kind hearted honest officer but he is not a patch on Dr Saxena in terms of either brilliance or performance. Moreover, he is a controversial figure. Considering that many an eminent scholar from India and UK has praised the book, Dr Saxena could surely have a placed someone else's blurb on top of the cover page. Lack of judgement on the part of Dr Saxena is inexplicable and brings into question the credibility of what he has to say in the book.
M P Bauer
Army like restructuring coming for PSBs ?
Yes in units young people who don't know the rules and regulations are posted and the promotion to new people are coming very fast hence they are not bothered about development of bank
Subramanyam
Reservation policy be reviewed !
I fully endorse A.K. Saxena’s views. Reservation policy must be reviewed and should be based on income only and not on caste basis.
S Gopal

Last week India signed an agreement with the Dominican Republic to the effect that Indian Diplomatic and official Passport holders will not require visa to visit that country. Other developing countries try to get visa free entry for businesspersons of their countries (who hold ordinary passports) but the focus of GoI is a always on convenience of its officers. Incidentally, there is little work for Indian officials in Dominican Republic. However, it is the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbeans. Now GoI officers making 'official' trips will be saved from the bother of getting a visa.
Dr N C Saxena
Don’t opine without checking on facts
It has become a habit with some persons to give their opinion without checking on facts. The latest one is one of your surfers joining the brigade which blame Nehru for the mess Kashmir is today. It is true that Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession when faced with the tribal raiders who were able to overtake much of his state. He was otherwise keen to remain independent, one of the choices given to Princely states by British. Nehru, a true democrat, agreed to decide the fate of Kashmiris through plebiscite .There were two factors going strong at that time in favour of India. The most popular leader of Kashmiris at that time was Sheikh Abdulla who was a friend of Nehru and trusted him(though he was betrayed later on and put in jail)People of Kashmir would have gone with India at his bidding if the plebiscite was held at that point of time. Kashmiris also with their culture of sufiyat did not consider themselves to be part of a country solely carved out on the basis of religion. Times have changed. Our mistakes as well as Pakistan's relentless pursuit of getting Kashmir by hook or crook has changed the entire land scape. First we failed to check the spread of Wahabi Islam in Kashmir by letting so many mosques and Madrasas come up in Srinagar and elsewhere. Secondly by letting the Pandits leave the valley(why could we not stop them by protecting them) the Islamisation of the valley was complete. Plebiscite is of course no longer a choice. During Nehru's time it was. Article 370 was incorporated to give Kashmir a special status till the issue of the decision of the people over their fate was resolved. This was the need or the demand of the hour then. Today we are living in a different world where consensus, dialogue or will of the people are words not relevant in the statecraft while pursuing what we think is in national interest.
Aarti Khosla
Delayed promotion orders – cause of concern
Extension orders are passed well in time. Promotion orders are delayed, well after retirement and many are denied benefits of promotion.
Vijay

The concern on the economic front calls for lateral thinking. Attention needs to be paid to imported items of superior technology for mass consumption on a sustained basis. Since we boast of the biggest pool of scientific and technological talent, it sounds bizarre to import these items now. We export or rather drain away all the talent because we refuse to use it for industrialisation in the country. Just take out the list of any surgery procedure and it would reveal that more than 98% items are “imported”. On the one hand we are preparing to send a manned mission to the Moon and on the other we keep importing almost every medical aid from abroad. It reminds us of the days when the country needed to import even wheat from abroad. While it sounds nice to say that government has no business to remain in business, we also must produce talent for real business e.g. for indigenous production of these medical devices. Can doctors of national repute and integrity be encouraged to set up production units? Thinking that lateral entry of outsiders into the government at JS/Secretary level is reform is really humour unlimited unless we ensure similar entry for talent from government (make 6A universal) in private businesses which are happy to kill the public sector and rob all its assets including human resources and produce third rate goods and services. Only those people who suffer private health care, cars, scooters, water geysers, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, TV sets, mobile etc. would know the pain. The jobs in millions can be created on a sustained basis, revenues increased and personal income tax bid a farewell. On the one hand the country runs a National Blindness Control Programme and on the other cheapest quality glasses/lens are sold in millions to the people (imported glasses cost above 12000 onwards) and on the economy front we toy with the idea of Universal income but run dozens of variants of MNNREG schemes. The ID(D&R) Act is not completely useless nor is the Industrial Policy Resolution. Replace it by a better document and policy if you can. Take it as a challenge for the next 55 months!
M L Gupta
Sinha deserves top post in PMO !
P K Sinha is a humble person with farsighted vision and rightly deserve for the elevation to the top post in PMO. I had got an opportunity to work with him when he was Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser in the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment and learned a lot from his straight forward working style calmly.
R S Meena