Two years went by, little happened. Chidambram returned to the theme in his Budget of 2007/08. ‘There is no dearth of schemes,’ he told Parliament, ‘there is no dearth of funds. What needs to be done is to deliver the intended outcomes.’

The Prime Minister has been proclaiming the desideratum just as frequently and even more emphatically. ‘We have generated adequate resources in the last three years for use in social sector without sacrificing fiscal prudence,’ he told the ‘Roundtable on India’ organised by The Economist in March 2007. ‘However, we cannot spend our way to prosperity and having tangible outcomes is, therefore, as important as increasing outlays. This is the single biggest concern of our government today and we have to address this issue if we need greater returns on our social investments.’ And a few months later, in November, 2007, he told the full meeting of the Planning Commission, the Gross Budgetary Support provided for in the 11th Plan is almost double what it was in the 10th Plan. More than that ‘the architecture for inclusive growth’ has been laid out, the ‘basic elements’ of that architecture ‘are now fully in place.’ ‘This is a matter of satisfaction and indeed of pride,’ he said. ‘For the next few years, the emphasis must be on ensuring that these programmes deliver what they promise. We must work purposefully to realise the socio-economic transformation the Plan seeks to achieve.’

And what is happening on the ground? After all, these worthies are not consultants to Government. They are the ones directing it. The answer can be gleaned by picking up any one of what Chidambram calls ‘the flagship schemes’ of this Government.

... contd.