Every penny counts

The nation is engaged in several battles — the war against the pandemic, the skirmishes at the border and the economic impact of the earlier two events. The administrative machineries across the country are over stretched and going through stressful times. With social distancing in force and voluntary congregation a strict no-no, it will be almost impossible to conduct elections in states such as Bihar and West Bengal, without seriously compromising public health. Conservation of resources is the call of the hour. Having aggressively expanded the expenditure side of the balance sheet during the last couple of years, the government at the Centre is clueless about mobilising financial resources for saving lives and livelihoods.

In such a scenario, we need to earnestly consider whether there could be a moratorium on holding elections of all types till such time we come out of the pandemic.

Similarly, expenditures which are purely for the purpose of constructing office space, including the Central Vista project and Assembly building project of Telangana, need reconsideration. Instead, we need to channelise such resources for arresting the economic downturn, saving precious lives and protecting the motherland. Every penny counts. History will judge us not on the basis of how many impressive statues and buildings we have built but on how many lives we have pulled out from the jaws of death.

Ganga Narayan Rath

Hyderabad