With the Bharatiya Janata Party in power, it seems that the bureaucracy is becoming more corporate-friendly. It has advised the new Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar to lift the ban on mining in forests and moratorium on new factories in heavily polluted industrial areas. Do the bureaucrats want to accelerate the pace of environmental destruction? The new aviation minister Ashok Gajapathy Raju is in no hurry to privatise Air India, which has always been caught in air turbulence. Ministers, politicians and bureaucrats would only be happy to stall any move to privatise the white elephant. All these parties have been enjoying joy rides on the airline at public cost. In fact, the employees have contributed a major share to the decline of Air India. Not only the serving ones, but also the retired employees and their kin are allowed to fly free of cost. Air India is the "private airline" of politicians, bureaucrats and its employees. This should come to an end, if the airline is to be rescued.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has proposed to levy higher taxes on tobacco products. A healthy move indeed. A healthier step would be to increase the rate of taxes on alcohol also.
V V Vijayan Mumbai
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