Minimum government

Govt needs to walk the PM's talk

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speeches from the ramparts of the Red Fort have typically been ones where he elucidates his government’s policy directions, and also defends the measures it has taken. The 2019 speech was no different, although there were not many announcements on policies — apart from the long-delayed creation of a chief of defence staff. Some aspects of Mr Modi’s speech stood out, however, and deserve greater attention than others. In one such section, the prime minister said: “I often ask my officers: Why cannot the government reduce its interference in the lives of the common