Memoirs of a bureaucrat: One head, many hats

Another unfortunate aspect was that one hand of the Central government appeared to know little about what the other was doing, as witness the MNREGA programme. Through a well–meaning initiative meant to translate the intention of providing succour to the starving rural labour, it was, on account of defective implementation, adversely impacting on another important activity, namely agriculture operations. A little tweaking of the programme, to ensure that it was withdrawn when agriculture offered enough working opportunities, would have served the required purpose. The committee expressed the view that, even as it was, the agriculture sector was suffering on account of long and continued neglect and showing adverse symptoms of stress such as a falling contribution to the GDP, inadequate capital formation and adverse transaction costs. In fact, on account of acute economic distress, farmers were committing suicides. And, while all this was going on, governments, both at the national and the State levels, continued to indulge in highly ill-advised adventures such as loan waivers

Fortunately, the State government agreed to implement almost all the recommendations of the Crop Holiday Committee, which were first discussed at a high-level meeting convened by the Chief Minister and attended by senior Cabinet colleagues. Needless to say, some not so uncommon political repercussions followed. A group of farmers led by political leaders laid siege to the Collectorate and burnt copies of the report, raising slogans against the committee. Their main complaint was that the committee had failed to take up important issues such as the fixation of a remunerative price for paddy, payment of bonus to farmers over and above the MSP etc., all matters beyond the purview of the committee, although, naturally, that point was not highlighted by the agitators!

The main lesson to draw from the exercise, as we pointed out in our report, was that the situation noticed by us was, in fact, just the tip of the iceberg. If the disenchantment with agriculture as an activity, and the trust deficit vis-a-vis the public agencies that provide support to the agriculture sector, were to spread on a large scale, imagination boggles at the thought of what would happen to the country's food security. The individual farm, after all, is the building block upon which the country's agriculture production system is built. If that were to collapse, the entire edifice would come down crumbling.

Another unfortunate aspect was that one hand of the Central government appeared to know little about what the other was doing, as witness the MNREGA programme. Through a well–meaning initiative meant to translate the intention of providing succour to the starving rural labour, it was, on account of defective implementation, adversely impacting on another important activity, namely agriculture operations. A little tweaking of the programme, to ensure that it was withdrawn when agriculture offered enough working opportunities, would have served the required purpose. The committee expressed the view that, even as it was, the agriculture sector was suffering on account of long and continued neglect and showing adverse symptoms of stress such as a falling contribution to the GDP, inadequate capital formation and adverse transaction costs. In fact, on account of acute economic distress, farmers were committing suicides. And, while all this was going on, governments, both at the national and the State levels, continued to indulge in highly ill-advised adventures such as loan waivers. Not only that what was required not being done, but what was dangerous being practised. The time, therefore, had come for the government to move in with a set of decisive and bold measures. Our report also made many other far reaching recommendations including ensuring timely availability of inputs in adequate quantities and of good quality, the creative and expanded use of ICT, setting up early warning systems for scanning the environment on a real-time and online basis, making the agriculture research system more demand-driven and solution-oriented and, most importantly, setting up, at the national, State and district levels, permanent institutional mechanisms for reorienting the approach to agriculture.

Our views were duly incorporated in the report and, this writer is happy to be able to say, resulted in many positive measures being taken thereafter, both at the national and State levels.

The threat of ennui returned in the days of 'lockdown' the country went through recently. In the absence of the usual opportunities available for exercising body and mind, one had to improvise within the available opportunity and space. For over three decades, this columnist has been a regular gym goer and has managed to keep reasonably fit. The lockdown, however, meant no gym, and not even the daily game of billiards at the club. One had, therefore, to fall back upon walking in the colony and doing some stretching, bending and light–weightlifting at home. It was also time for a good deal of thinking, and it struck this writer that he had, albeit quite unconsciously, followed a mathematical model for his fitness schedule. Every day, he asks himself whether he should not be downgrading his exercise regimen, having regard to the ageing process. And every day his reply to himself is "I did something yesterday. I cannot have aged so much in one day that I cannot repeat it today". And that logic has kept this writer going all these years! Those familiar with mathematical techniques will recognise that this is the process of mathematical "induction". In a series of terms one prescribes a rule - 'if something is true of one term, it is true for the next term also'. Then one sets about showing that it is true for the first term of the series. Then, according to the rule, it applies the second term, therefore to the third and so on endlessly. So, mathematics applies to physical fitness also!

Before leaving you, another small story from college days. A good friend used to remove a peg of whiskey from his father's daily quota and make up the gap with water every day. The father got so much used to the diluted stuff that, one day, when my friend omitted to carry out the daily depletion, he got knocked out! The point this columnist trying to make is that after the lockdown ends, he wonders whether we will all be able return to the active and energetic life we earlier led, having got so used to the sedentary and somewhat laidback style it has imposed upon us!

(Concluded)

(The writer isformer Chief Secretary,Government ofAndhra Pradesh)