BMIC - IT - economy linkage

text of the posting made on a Yahoogroup in response to usual Socialisic rhetoric:

Hi L

That we differ on a lot of issues is quite an under-statement. Whether public governance as a whole can be entrusted to the private sector or not is debatable. What is certain however is that people would be far better off if a lot many of the services is entrusted to them, with the government just playing the role of the facilitator/ regulator.

We are already seeing this happening all around us and enjoying the fruits of it. This I will term as the 'efficient sector'. And, to take care of the needs of the disadvantaged lot, you need to have the 'social sector'. Beyond that, there is no place in the future world for the 'laggard sector', which is what the government services have generally turned out to be, with of course the rare exceptions, but which also cannot last long if they continue in their present styles.

I admit I haven't studied law as closely as you may have. But, like most lay people, I rely largely on the principles of natural justice, and I am sure the Indian constitution cannot be too much at variance with that. Now, if things are as plain as you make them out to be, how come the courts have repeatedly ruled in favour of NICE, except, if I understand correctly, in the Gottigere case, which is on an environmental issue, but again, the result of a muddling by the government. May be you would like to say that the courts are also a stupid lot.

You have stated that the "the Advocate General has argued that the Government is not against the project at all". But, that's where there is a serious difference between your stance and the government's. You are opposed to everything about the project, which most are not, including me, even if it is a car-based development. And, I don't think the land-owners, or even the evacuees, have a serious problem, either. As for the educated lot, particularly the youth, a new world itself was to open out to them, may be after their being imparted a bit of training. And, as for the uneducated lot, they would have been happy to take up the many new kinds of jobs resulting out of these developments, including as caddies in golf courses. It's another matter that there may be the few here, who would like to continue to sentence them to hard farm labour, and on top of it all, romanticize about it, even as they enjoy all the goodies of the modern world.

Mr Ashok Kheny envisioned the project some ten years back, struck a deal with the then government, raised the resources to put in the risk capital, and has been pursuing with each of the ministries, that followed, to keep up their part of the deal. With the project becoming a real money spinner with the economic boom that ensued, the various ministries that came along, negotiated and settled on 'what was in it for them', and moved along. The present lot are apparently a lot greedier, and that's where the problem lies.

Nobody seems to ask what if the Central Government had decided not to open up, and the economy continued to languish at the earlier 'Hindu rate of growth'. There wouldn't have existed an IT sector in the country, and Mr Ashok Kheny would have had to declare himself bankrupt. May be that's what you would have liked. But, I doubt if many from even the this group would support that viewpoint.

Granted, the government should have the powers to evict people only in very exceptional cases, and against payment of handsome compensation in such cases, and that land for projects should be purchased directly at market prices. These are now evolving resulting out of the Nandigram/ Singur fiascos. Perhaps, these fiascos could have been avoided had the wise people concentrated their efforts where required.