Government must listen to people speaking truth: Chidambaram
New Delhi, July 25 : Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government must listen to people speaking truth to power, referring to observations made by economists Arvind Panagariya, Raghuram Rajan and Arvind Subramanian.
"Government must listen to people speaking truth to power. Three eminent economists have done that today," said Chidambaram on Twitter.
"Firstly, Dr Arvind Panagariya has written eloquently about the folly of the government's trade policy and its rush towards 'import substitution'," he said.
"Secondly, Dr Raghuram Rajan has spoken passionately about the 'need to tolerate dissent' in order to become a knowledge society. Thirdly, Dr Arvind Subramanian has spoken from experience why the CEA must always provide honest and disinterested advice. He must be pained that he was not consulted on demonetisation!" Chidambaram added.
Chidambaram was referring to Arvind Panagariya's article in 'The Times of India' which said import substitution would take the economy down from turnpike to dirt road.
The former Finance Minister was also referring to Rajan's remarks made at an event organised by "The Hindu BusinessLine" where he said: "... In an atmosphere, that tolerates dissent, you can exchange ideas and have new ideas created... This strength will carry us going forward when we build top universities because scholars will be able to debate without fear of voicing their views."
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Tumkur: 24-year-old rider killed in car-bike head-on collision in Tiptur
Tiptur: A 24-year-old rider was killed on the spot in a head-on collision between his motorbike and a car near Bidiregudi of Kasaba hobli in the taluk.
The deceased rider, Vijay Kumar, was a resident of BL Koppalu Basaveshwara Nagara in Kasaba hobli, Arsikere taluk.
He was reportedly returning home after work at a welding factory near TM Manjunath Nagar Gate, Tiptur, when a car coming from the opposite direction collided with his bike near Bidiregudi. Vijay Kumar is said to have died at the spot due to the impact of the collision.
Locals have blamed the lack of signboards and other precautionary measures amid the construction of a four-lane national highway in the area, mainly between Bidiregudi and Konehalli. They have said that the carelessness of the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) has led to frequent accidents in the region.
“A meeting of officers from various government departments, including the police, was held recently under the chairmanship of the local legislator, but several NHAI officials were reportedly absent. Despite the meeting, officials appear careless in implementing safety measures, leading to a rise in accidents,” the locals said, demanding immediate action from the concerned authorities.
