A more frequent debt and investment survey
The pandemic is expected to have a mixed effect on household finances. Experts have pointed out that many households could have increased their savings due to two reasons. First is what is referred to as a precautionary motive, with non-essential spending being deferred in the expectation of a health or income shock. Secondly, the lockdown is expected to have disrupted many consumption activities such as travelling and eating out and added to the savings pool. On the other hand, there have also been anecdotal accounts of households having to deplete their savings to cope with the pandemic’s economic shock. Reports of withdrawals from provident fund accounts and a proliferation of predatory online lending platforms, which charge very high interest rates, are some such examples. Going forward, these are expected to have opposite effects on aggregate demand. While forced savings could be deployed aggressively in the future, households with depleted savings or accumulated debt are likely to cut back on consumption. It would help if we had a clear idea of what the net effect has been across different households.
MUMBAI: Unease between Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and the Uddhav Thackeray administration deepened on Thursday when the latter denied Koshyari use of the state government’s plane to travel to Dehradun, forcing him to get off the aircraft and take a commercial flight instead.
Raj Bhavan’s secretariat and the state government sought to blame each other for the episode. After a controversy erupted, the opposition BJP slammed the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, saying the incident had maligned Maharashtra’s image. The government and Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, which leads the coalition government, said the state was only following rules laid down by the home ministry.
According to a statement by Raj Bhavan, Koshyari reached the international airport and boarded the state government’s plane, but he was told the aircraft could not take off because the chief minister’s office (CMO) had not approved the flight. The governor then disembarked and eventually took a commercial flight to Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
The Raj Bhavan statement said Koshyari was to attend 122th Indian Administrative Service induction programme at the Lal Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, on Friday and he was supposed to take the government aircraft on Thursday morning to Dehradun and planned to reach Mussoorie
by road.
“The Governor reached the CSMI {Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International} Airport at 1000 hrs and boarded the government plane. However, the Hon’ble Governor was informed that the permission for the use of government aircraft had not been received. As directed by the Hon’ble Governor, tickets for Dehradun were booked on a commercial aircraft leaving Mumbai at 1215 hrs immediately and accordingly, he left for Dehradun,” the governor’s secretariat said in a statement.
The chief minister’s office (CMO) blamed the governor’s secretariat for the episode.
“The secretariat should have ensured that they had permission to use the aircraft before the governor’s departure from his official residence. The state government is not at fault and the officials at the governor house responsible for negligence will have to face action following the directives issued by the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in this regard,” the CMO said in a statement.
“The chief minister has taken serious cognisance of the episode and has directed the administration to fix the responsibility on the officials concerned at Raj Bhavan,” the CMO said, indicating that action would be taken against the officials for not informing the governor about the need for the government’s permission.
CMO has to approve all requests for use of government aircraft and inform the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
“On Wednesday, the Governor House was informed that the CMO was yet to clear the request. The secretariat is expected to finalise travel plans and bring the governor to the airport based on the permissions for using the aircraft, but it didn’t happen. The governor could not travel to the desired destination in the government aircraft because the concerned officials at Raj Bhavan didn’t take any confirmation,” the CMO said.
Talking to a local news channel in Dehradun in the evening, Koshyari said it was an official tour and he reached there in another plane as could not get a government one. “I could not get an airplane so came here through another one...it happens..” the governor said.
The BJP slammed the Thackeray government.
“The governor was not given the permission to use and he had to deboard the aircraft. We have never seen such an egoistic government in Maharashtra ever. It is completely wrong on part of Uddhav Thackeray (CM) to make an ego issue out of everything. It is not someone’s personal property but of the state’s,” former chief minister and leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said.
Shiv Sena leader and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut dismissed allegations by the Opposition that the Sena-led state government had disrespected Koshyari. Raut told reporters in New Delhi that the state was merely following the rules laid down by the home ministry for use of government machinery for private or personal use.
“Nobody can use government machinery for their personal and private use, not even the chief minister,” Raut said.
He indirectly criticised the governor for not approving the nomination of 12 members of the legislative council recommended by the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, which also comprises the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.
“The biggest insult to the Constitution and democracy is not approving the names of 12 governor-appointed members despite the state cabinet giving its recommendation. The opposition party and BJP must speak on this issue,” he said.
Koshyari and the MVA government have had bitter run-ins in the past. In April, the governor did not accept the state government’s request to nominate Thackeray to the legislative council. This was necessary at the time because Thackeray had to be a member of one of the houses of state legislature within six months after taking oath of office.