To do and not to demand

The private sector's observations on the failings of the public-private partnership (PPP) policy appear to have irritated more than one senior government official at a recent summit on the topic. First, Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram ticked off a speaker from Ernst & Young for making contradictory statements (both critical of the government). Then, Anil Swarup, additional secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, admonished another speaker for providing a list of private sector demands. The government did not need a wish list, Swarup said in his speech immediately afterwards, but a set of doable things with solutions in mind. Otherwise, he added acidly, "We will be having this conference again after a year with no results."