Let’s examine the main reason. It has been said by our past leaders, and by at least one present leader, that the money allotted for any particular cause hardly ever reaches it. Once the middlemen take charge of things, the funds diminish like an ice cube in the summer heat. Thus, unless and until we tackle corruption at every level, no amount of money is going to solve any problem in India.

A complicated affair

n This refers to two reports ‘Why loan waiver won’t stop farmer deaths’ and ‘More suicides’ from Vidarbha. Interestingly, these suicides took place within days of the budget announcement of the loan waiver for farmers. That announcement overlooked the basic problems of small and marginal farmers: market price of their produce, better agricultural infrastructure, availability of farm loans on easy terms and repayment schedules, etc. Without taking the above factors into account, no loan waiver, no matter how big, will substantially improve the lot of our farmers.

Too many services

• Shishir Gupta’s article ‘They could rule India’ calling for “administrative reform” in the context of the 6th Pay Commission recommendations, is timely. But Gupta could have been a little more elaborate as well as pointed and focused. If the political executive at the Centre is determined, the first thing that should be done is to deny primacy to the Indian Administrative Service whose members are forging ahead at the expense of other services.

For a change, the Indian government would do well to consider having three cabinet secretaries at the Centre, a member of the IAS to handle administrative matters, a member of the IA&AS to oversee economic affairs and a member of the Foreign Service or the IPS to deal solely with national security.

Ishant’s season

• This refers to ‘Just like Ishant’

India will be playing a lot of cricket in the near future on dead tracks which will also test Ishant. The lanky bowler has to maintain his fitness in order to survive the grind of Indian cricket. Therefore, the BCCI should use him only for quality matches instead of wasting his talent on every tournament.

Beyond belief

• Harsha Bhogle is right when he says: “When confidence accompanies opportunity, when the mind is driven by visions of success, defeat can be stopped in its tracks.” In Australia, India cricketers showed what they were capable of when they took a chance on themselves. The rest, of course, is history.