WEEKEND LIGHTER: Cooperative federalism
WEEKEND LIGHTER*: Cooperative federalism
(April 29/30, 2017, No.17/2017)
Section III: Leisure: Remaining...
A
poem by Balachandran Chullikkad
I
Cover Story
Cooperative
federalism*
With reference to
“CMs want a more consultative NITI Aayog” (Business Standard, April 24), Prime
Minister Modi has taken forward his commitment to rebuild the Planning
Commission that he made from the ramparts of Red Fort in his Independence Day
speech in 2014 with all sincerity. There has been visible effort from the
government to professionalise governance at various levels and across
institutional structures. The inadequacies being felt emanate more from the
stagnant status of reforms.
In the Sunday meeting
of NITI Aayog, in addition to the development
agenda with long-term perspective, keeping a 15-year time span, issues like
change in financial year from April-March to January-December and simultaneous
elections to Parliament and state assemblies were mooted. It is comforting to
see that serious discussions over issues on which difference in perceptions
across states and political denominations are inevitable are happening at NITI
Aayog in a cordial manner. Perhaps one significant takeaway for representatives
of Parliament and state legislatures who attended the meeting could be the
orderly manner in which deliberations can take place. The dissent expressed by
two CMs by deputing representatives and the criticism of NITI Aayog by the Kerala chief
minister in particular are pointers to more efforts needed to make Modi’s dream
of “cooperative federalism” in governance come true.
Hopefully, the coming
days will see NITI Aayog revisiting “concurrent subjects”, considering
legislative reforms in the administration of justice to fast track reforms in
other sectors and to support economic development, social security and to
ensure overall improvement in governance. Three other important issues awaiting
attention are professionalising management of political parties, mapping of the
nation’s “hidden” resources and reforms relating to production, pricing and
marketing in the farm sector. All issues are inter-related and disentangling
may need unreserved support from citizens who are the ultimate beneficiaries.
M G Warrier | Mumbai
M G Warrier | Mumbai
*Letters, Business Standard, April 25, 2017
II
Recent responses
Understanding what’s AAP
This refers to your
editorial “Time’s AAP” (Business Line, April 27). By comparing Aam Aadmi
Party’s performance in elections with that of other political parties, we are
doing a great injustice to the commonsense of the common man which conceived
the idea of AAP. Media and analysts today are using the same scale to measure
the performance of Congress which had monopoly over the country’s political
platform from pre-independence days to 1970’s, BJP which emerged as a power to
reckon with during the current decade in certain circumstances and AAP which is
the off-shoot of a movement called India Against Corruption and did not have
political ambitions till its leadership by experience realized that politics
was the only route to influence governance in India.
It wouldn’t be off the
mark to observe that if freedom movement and Congress were responsible for
India’s independence, IAC and AAP played a definite role in waking up citizens
and telling them about the constitution given to the people and the rights and
responsibilities emanating from the Constitution.
Politics being what it
is, it is too early to write off AAP, going by the Delhi local bodies election
results. While BJP just retained its 2012 vote share of 36 plus percent,
Congress and all other parties suffered set backs and AAP which was not in the
race in 2012 secured 26 percent votes and 48 seats in 2017. This is no mean
achievement.
M
G Warrier, Mumbai
Restructuring banking
infrastructure*
This refers to the
report “Merger of PSBs could help banking system: Urjit Patel” (Business Line, April
26). The need for reorganization of Indian banking infrastructure to
rationalize functional responsibilities, presence and outreach is as old as
nationalization of banks. All along, we had a touch and run or ‘first-aid’
approach to financial sector reforms. Committees and Commissions, periodically
have made recommendations on this issue, but restricted mandates or selective
approach in accepting recommendations have delayed a comprehensive look at
structural alterations.
Even during the last four
years when RBI was visibly serious about changes in the institutional system in
the financial sector, measures were sporadic and didn’t take a global view in
the context of existing infrastructure and future needs. Thus we see new
institutions coming up and making existing ones running for life, branches and
ATMs of several banks crowding commercially developed zones while small towns,
less posh urban and semi-urban areas as also rural India wait for reasonably
acceptable banking services within reach.
The merger of associate
banks with SBI has shown that all blames dumped on employees were misplaced. As
a large geographical area remain still unbanked or under-banked, surpluses in
terms of manpower released can easily be redeployed elsewhere. As public sector
banks and private sector banks raise resources from the same source and by and
large are expected to serve the same clientele, GOI should avoid the temptation
to ‘divide and rule’ and encourage a level playing field for both categories of
banks in terms of regulatory environment, functional autonomy, a self-regulated
revenue-based remuneration package and professional management of human
resources.
M
G Warrier, Mumbai
*An edited version(Level the field) published under Letters, The Hindu
Business Line, April 27, 2017
RBI’s concerns
With reference to “Restoring credibility”* (Business Standard, April
13), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor’s apprehensions with regard to
loan waivers and other critical issues are a good sign to lend a durable
credence to the regulatory mechanisms and in its endeavour to make the banking
system strong. The fact is that over a period populist measures indulged in by
the political class have retarded the growth process, thereby widening the
fiscal deficit. Politics can never be good unless the economics to be pursued is
also good. Agreed that there are exceptions, but massive loan waivers are
something that can severely impact the recovery process of banks, which has
already taken a big hit.
Urjit Patel has warned that such loan waivers serve to undermine
an honest credit culture. Concerns about the mounting non-performing loans of
public sector banks (PSB) and the pressing need for their quick resolutions,
meeting the additional capital needs of PSBs
and the need to think beyond recapitalising the PSBs in terms of evolving alternatives
such as divestment of ownership etc., and the delayed transmission of monetary
policy cuts of RBI by banks
resulting in room for more rate cuts are issues that are getting much needed
attention.
Srinivasan Umashankar | Nagpur
*By M G Warrier
(Letters, Business Standard)
III
Leisure
Remaining*...
Buddhist Monk
Pragyasheela said:
"When you wake up
in the morning,
And while going to bed
everyday,
Imagine
The ten thousand
years, prior to
Your arrival on this
planet, and
The ten thousand
years, after
You leave
here..."
Imagining like that...
Blurring of the clear
and unclear...
Led to fading of my
conscious existence!
Still, the first human
touch on my body...
The first inhalation
of atmospheric air, Which my nostrils squeezed in fast.
The sweetness of the
first drop of,
Mother's milk...The
piercing smell of,
The boiling wild blood
of youthfulness...
The burning flame of
ecstasy...
The short-lived
brightness of rainbows...
The amazing power of
nuclear energy...
Even if... I'm able to
imagine and know,
The hidden secrets of,
Ten thousand years,
back and forth...
Alas!!! I remain...
That miniscule piece
of camphor...
Melting...And flaming
out...
Leaving some ashes...
When 'consumed'
finally by,
Shocking, cursed
electricity...
Or... Sweet, loving
flames...
†*†*†*†
*A free translation of the
theme of a poem in Malayalam by Balachandran Chullikkad (Mathrubhumi Weekly,
April 23-29, 2017)
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