Jean Drèze’s article on the Budget, “ >Nehruvian budget in the corporate age ” (March 5), is a clear picture of what the present government professes support for: the corporate world. It is a reminder that India has yet to fulfil its basic needs. India will be a proud nation, especially of the young, only when it recognises its human capital.
Haoginlen Chongloi,
Imphal, Manipur
The article appears to support the idea that the Budget overlooks human capital. I feel the Budget should be seen along with the FFC recommendation of a higher devolution of funds to States. The essay, “India’s Federal Institutions and Economic Reform”, in the book Public Institutions in India , clearly articulates that the Central government is the best agency for tax collection, while the State and local governments are best positioned to provide public services. The FFC, the Economic Survey and the Budget clearly indicate such a shift. Till now, State budgets have been grossly neglected by the media, and the time has come to accord them equal importance. The decentralisation process should be taken forward to its logical conclusion by giving local governments more power and autonomy.
M.S.G. Subramaniam,
Chennai
India has been “growing” ever since Independence, but the growth has not translated into the well-being of the common man as it has always been corporate-oriented. According to UNESCO’s “EFA [Education for All] Global Monitoring Report (GMR) 2013/14, Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality For All,” India has a large (adult) illiterate population in the world — numbering 287 million.
Of the 10 countries that account for 72 per cent of the global population of illiterate adults, India occupies first place. And still, the Union Budget talks about infrastructure development and world-class highways. Of course, there is growth and development. The question is: whose? It is pathetic to see successive governments governing the country, only to safeguard the interests of the corporate sector and at the cost of the vast majority of the poor.
Sukumaran C.V.,
Palakkad
