Articles by B M

October 15, 1983 office was at Calcutta. But, on the day of the firing, S N Tantia, one of the directors of the Company, was present in Dibrugarh and was keeping track of the events in the garden, Kalia, however, could riot explain why no member of the managerial or office staff had received even minor injuries despite all the brickbatting. His office room too did not bear evidence of any onslaught.

NEW DELHI The Prime Minister's Priorities B M WHAT exactly are Indira Gandhi's and her government's priorities and concerns in the complex and difficult area of economic and social development? The answer to this question will not be found in such exercises as the mid-term appraisal of the Sixth Plan and the correctives that the Planning Commission is proposing in order to moderate the distortions which have appeared because of lags and shortfalls in Plan implementation. It will also not be found in the advice tendered to the Prime Minister by various committees, commissions and councils, including in the latest widely- publicised note of the Economic Advisory Council headed by Sukhamoy Chakravarty. These advisers and advisory bodies seem to be bothered about stringency of resources and need for mobilising more resources for development. They arc worried about lags in investment in what they regard as the priority or core sector of the development plan and the need to step up investment in this sector. The advice they are tendering is designed to tackle these problems.

NEW DELHI Sixth Plan in Limbo B M THOSE in Yojana Bhavan concerned with the mid-term review of the Sixth Five-Year Plan have virtually completed their task. But the crucial next step, of considering the review document and the corrective measures indicated in it in a full meeting of the Planning Commission, remains uncertain. That would depend on the convenience of the Prime Minister as chairman of the Commission. The Prime Minister's own preoccupations, however, seem to lie elsewhere. And it is unlikely that a meeting of the full Commission under her chairmanship would be held in the near future.

NEW DELHI In the Wonderland of Economic Policy B M WHAT has been highlighted by the Hurry of activity on the part of the Prime Minister in recent weeks is not only the half-hearted manner in which she has taken half-measures, though this has eroded faith in Indira Gandhi's leadership qualities and her political invulnerability. More important, it has been once again shown that Indira Gandhi must continue to rely, by choice as well because of the circumstances in which she has placed herself, on a small coterie which she may assemble at any given point of time and function only through such a coterie. She has neither the desire nor the ability lo look beyond for talent and indeed those with integrity and independence as well as talent may not be available to her for advice and assistance. This is manifest in the composition of her Council of Ministers und the periodic reshuffles of ministers and their portfolios as well as the top administrative set-up. This applies also to the changes in the Congress(I) set-up at all levels. The composition of the new Council of Economic Advisers would appear to dispute this view, but only partly. It was K N Raj, now a member ot the Council, who had while delivering the S Nijalingappa endowment lecture in 1974 said that in the prevailing circumstances expert advice had ceased to exercise much influence on government policy and action and that, therefore, economists would do well to take a back seat and not offer advice to government "to their own and others' advantage". He had also argued that most economic problems had ceased to be amenable to the advice or intervention of experts. Has he changed his views or was he pursuaded to join the Council of Economic Advisers by the persona] request of the Prime Minister? The Planning Commission is supposed to be an expert advisory body on economic policies. Yet the setting up of the Council to advise the Prime Minister on economic policies has not caused the slightest ripple in Yojana Bhavan. It is generally believed in the Commission that the Council and the proposed larger panel to advise the Planuing Commission will turn out to be assemblies, from time to time, of some eminent economists in the PM's office or in Yojana Bhawan to do some smart talking which will have little impact on official policy or action. Such assemblies have been held in the past on several occasions and they have served little purpose. Those who are invited to such meetings reiterate their known views in general terms, just as they do in many seminars, and go back to their normal functions in universities, research institutes or other places of work.

Crippling Crutches in Fertilisers ARRANGEMENTS being sought for the construction of the second batch of six large fertiliser plants, based on Bombay High gas as feedstock, belie yet again the official pretensions to achieving technological self-reliance and increasing indigenous content in these plants. The new plants are to be of the same size as the four that are under construction