The usual flimflam.

The government's pre-budget economic survey is the usual mixture of bogus claims, blaming the outside world for the economic mess and wild optimism while keeping all fingers crossed. It blames slowing growth on outside factors when exports have risen by 40.5% and imports by 30.4%. It blames high interest rates for slower investment rather than blaming inflation which was the direct result of uncontrolled spending. The survey notes that inflation has fallen, which is really due to a higher base effect and a seasonal decline in food prices. Food prices are already going up and WPI has again gone up to 6.95% after declining for several months. Most confusingly the survey calls for a ruthless crackdown on corruption but warns of the effects of a ruthless crackdown. TOI, March 15. " While we need to ruthlessly crack down on corruption, it must, at the same time, be recognised that the fear of a large and cumbersome anti-corruption bureaucracy can be detrimental to risk-taking and may hamper legitimate activities in public institutions." What is that supposed to mean? How will criminal politicians and thieving civil servants function if they are not allowed to loot? Not a single MP objected to this garbage. The survey ignores the most pressing problem of India without which inflation can never be contained and growth will be impossible and that is population growth. This is the biggest crisis facing the nation today. Last month Arya Orphanage in central Delhi was in the news for sexual assault on children. A mother knew that her 12 year old boy was being sodomised for months but chose to remain silent because the boy was being given some food and education at the orphanage. An 11 year old girl died after being physically assaulted and raped by a 14 year old boy. HT, February 14. Apparently most of these children are not real orphans but have parents living in nearby Vijay Vihar which is a slum colony. Any nation that allows its children to be raped for a handful of food and the ability to recognise alphabets is surely doomed. There will no doubt be more social schemes to help " the poor " in the budget which will make them permanent beggars and produce even more children, all dependent on handouts. Large numbers of social schemes are convenient for looting because the illiterate poor do not know what they are supposed to get and a hungry man is grateful for any substandard food that he receives. Which brings us back to the warning against being too vigilant against corruption. Let us loot or the poor will suffer. Put it all on our conscience. Ouch.