Ourview | The buck stops...there
Ourview | The buck stops...there
The Prime Minister’s recent revelation that non-government organizations (NGOs) funded by the well-intentioned West are to blame for the mess in Kudankulam and also for stymieing the government’s plan to release Bt brinjal is indicative of the deep crisis of governance facing India today. That the Prime Minister invoked foreign-funded NGOs as an excuse as to why his government has been unable to address either the protests against setting up nuclear power plants in Kudankulam, or the distrust that genetically modified (GM) food seems to inspire, signals a lack of vision that has become all too familiar in the UPA’s second innings.
It is true that a significant amount of the power to push such measures through now rests with state governments, rather than the Centre. With states paralysed by protests and unwilling to risk alienating the electorate by taking steps to institute an unpopular measure, the Centre must pick up the slack and do as needs must. And it isn’t as though the Centre lacks options. It must engage the opposition and impress the importance of these projects on them to secure cooperation. It is simply not enough for the Prime Minister to throw up his hands and blame NGOs for his own government’s inability to get things done.
Are NGOs to blame for the government’s paralysis? Tell us at views@livemint.com.
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