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B.S. Raghavan

AT the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, directed a broadside at the long-persisting stranglehold of systems, procedures, rules and regulations, blaming them for the country's ills. Warming up to the theme, he uttered these memorable words to the resounding acclamation of the ecstatic audience: "Though we have done away with the licence-permit-quota raj, the inspector raj still survives. Many entrepreneurs — especially those in the small and medium scale sectors — are routinely harassed and humiliated under this inspector raj. This must end..."

Now, this brief extract not only gets a prize of sorts for doublespeak, but bristles with contradictions. First, has India truly done away with the licence-permit-quota raj? Then, why are domestic entrepreneurs and foreign investors wanting to start an enterprise are still fulminating against the bureaucratic obstacles race they have to run for months and years before they can get going? Can the PM be ignorant of the goings-on under his very nose, while speaking as though neither he or nor his Government has any responsibility for the state of affairs of which he is complaining. If the inspector raj "must" end, whose job is it to end it? In fact, the PM owed an answer to the assembled glitterati to the question: What has the Government and himself as its head been doing to set right what he is lamenting about?

There is a more fundamental question: Will it ever be possible to do away with inspector raj? After all, the purpose of having inspectors is to ensure that establishments conform to the rules and regulations put in place to safeguard public interest. To cite a few examples: The food inspector is to enforce observance of standards of sanitation and hygiene and quality; the factory inspector is there to ensure compliance with safety precautions, and rules regarding payment of minimum wages and fair and equitable conditions of employment; and so on. Diligent performance of all these duties is imperative for good governance, and indeed, for the stability, solvency and progress of the polity. Thus, there is never going to be a time when there will be no need for inspectors.

So, what precisely does the call to end inspector raj amount to in practice? Placing oneself in the position of an inspector, what is he supposed to do? Stop "inspecting" premises and documents, and asking the necessary questions to make sure that everything is in order?

If all it platitudinously means is that the inspectors should not resort to harassment, humiliation or extortion and should behave in a courteous and civilised manner with those falling within their purview, does it not go without saying?

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