5.16.2008

Popular Government or a Sensible One

Today was one of those days when most of the opinions in the editorial were worth the read.

Double Bill

The staple two editorials talked about the disconnect between politician's intellect and the right thing to do.

First article talks about how the savings that Telecom Minister A Raja claims to have made by re-negotiating the BSNL are just notional. The delay in procuring the equipment has resulted in the loss of potential customers which is clearly visible in BSNL's slipping from the top position to the third - in terms of subscribers. Also, with the price of telecom equipment falling, there is bound to be a "saving" every time a contract/tender will be re-negotiated. The saving MAY also be , even if partially, due to the changed specifications of the tender.

Second article talks about how the government has, without a second thought, banned futures trading on a number of agricultural commodities - rubber, gram, soya oil, potato, wheat, rice, urad, tur. B C Khatua(Forward Markets Commission) and Abhijit Sen (Planning Commission) have clearly stated their belief that they do not find any relationship between futures trading and price-rise of the goods being traded. The choice of goods selected for ban also fail to make sense - a bumper potato crop and the already high price of rubber. There is a fear that these steps are being taken to give a feeling that the government is doing something.

Such actions on part of the government set you thinking if you really need a government with popular vote or a government which works - popular or not. A controversial and to an extent one sided argument you would say. Democracy is above all. But with economic and financial decisions like the ones mentioned, you wonder why we always shout that our PM and FM are some of the most able people when it comes to economic or financial matters.


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