Economy in words Better bureaucracy

With reference to “Wrong choice of words can create big news: Panagariya” (April 28), in Malayalam there is a saying that “four men may agree, but no two women will agree”. But that was the position long back! One recalled it when thinking of a situation now when “four politicians may agree, but no two economists will have the same view”.

How else can one explain the following? First, post-demonetisation observations by Manmohan Singh, Amartya Sen, Raghuram Rajan, Dr Y V Reddy and Arvind Subramanian, some of which were made controversial later. Second, positions that are now being taken by members of the NITI Aayog on agricultural income. What’s wrong in having a debate on managing the country’s resources? How long can real issues be swept under the carpet, just because they are politically sensitive? Caution about choice of words coming from celebrity economists may stifle open healthy debates on current issues. After all, did we not accommodate two consecutive Economic Surveys which fancied into unchartered territories while talking about resources management?

M G Warrier Thiruvananthapuram of the price support scheme.

A public-private partnership (PPP) model was proposed in 2014-15 as a corrective measure of ill-equipped food grains management by the FCI and statedesignate agencies. The PPP model should thus undertake pulse procurement by replicating the direct benefit transfer prototype of wheat and paddy procurement such as e-Uparjan in Madhya Pradesh and the Procurement Automation System in Odisha. While technology-enabled procurement offers a real-time information flow, a PPP model can improve operational efficiency through scientific warehousing and optimising transportation network. Farmers need to be protected as they are seen to be less incentivised in the exchange process, and a PPP model can work for farmers’ inclusion in MSP-based procurement.

Kushankur Dey Bhubaneswar PM Modi’s firm message to the bureaucracy to reform, perform and transform further asking them to be an agency for a change is welcome. India, as an emerging market force, is on the threshold of another major transformation. Good initiatives should be supported by a strong motivational force percolating from the top as an example to draw inspiration that is free from political interference too often. What we have seen over a period is needless political interference without taking ownership for bringing changes.

Bureaucrats should get a free hand to perform and made responsible for their actions. Modi’s assurance that he has enough political will to go along if the bureaucracy wishes to set higher standards is commendable. This is critical for positive change to happen as Modi is a proven leader and successful administrator who also has the ability to make things happen no matter how tall the task in hand may be. This is to say that there has to be a guiding force and a role model to kick-start the process of making bureaucracy swifter.

Srinivasan Umashankar Nagpur