Austerity debate: is it just a farce?

For the past week or so, Congress’ austerity measures have dominated chatter at the workplace and in social settings in Delhi. Headlines in national dailies advertise the means by which members of the ruling party are demonstrating their concern for the poverty-stricken. But is this the manifestation of a genuine desire to economise or, as some opponents believe, a mere political gimmick?

A Superficial Measure

Pressurising ministers to travel ‘cattle class’, cutting down on chartered flights and banning them from staying in luxury hotels does reflect a desire to earn political points. After all, when Sonia Gandhi travelled by economy class, the story made headlines across the globe.

In all this clamour, the key issues are being underplayed. Saving a few thousand rupees via these measures is a mere symbolic gesture compared to the crores that could be saved by cutting MLA & MP fringe benefits, removing corrupt babus and fixing leakages in schemes such as the NREGA & the Mid-Day Meal Programme. It takes political will for this, does the UPA government have it?