|
Need for Better Convergence of Schemes to Avoid Duplication and Leakages : Public-Social-Private Partnership a Possible Alternative to Supplement Government Efforts : Survey Recognises Need for Proper Balancing of the Climate and Growth Challenges
|
|
|
A number of programmes are being run concurrently by the Government to address the twin issues of unemployment and poverty alleviation. The Economic Survey tabled in the Lok Sabha here today by Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee states that there is a need for better convergence of the schemes to avoid duplication and leakages and to ensure that the fruits of the schemes reach the targeted beneficiaries. The Survey adds that policy structures need to be firmed up to facilitate effective implementation of these programmes and to ensure that allocation results in outputs and outputs in outcomes. Initiatives like the outcome budget and the setting up of the Unique Identification Authority of India by the Government are some steps in this direction.
The Economic Survey underlines that given the advantage of a young population, the realization of the democratic dividend is another factor that calls for some more reforms in the education system and health sector. The Survey goes on to say that mobilization of funds for higher education is a challenge for the Government. The gap in available resources could possibly be met by a tailor-made Public-Private Partnership(PPP) mode of funding without diluting the regulatory oversight of the Government. Private-sector participation in social sectors, such as health and education, sometimes referred to as public-social-private partnership(PSPP), could be one of the possible alternatives for supplementing the ongoing efforts of the Government. However, in order to put in place such mechanisms, crucial issues such as risks and returns associated with such high cost projects need to be suitably addressed to ensure that there are enough takers for such PSPP projects in the market on a self-sustainable basis.
The Survey observes that another challenge for the Government is proper balancing of the climate challenge and the growth challenge. The increasing importance of climate-related issues should not shake the foundations of our inclusive growth strategy. Careful planning and customized policies are needed to ensure that the green growth strategies do not result in a slow growth strategy. The Survey also says that Climate Change is a complex policy issue with major implications in terms of finances for addressing mitigation of Global Greenhouse Gas emissions on the one hand and coping with the adverse impacts of climate change on the community and population, ecosystem, economy and livelihood on the other. All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs. Financial ways and means must be found to enable developing countries to enhance their efforts to address climate change, especially enhancing their adaptive capacity. Thus climate change is both an environmental issue and an economic costs and development issue.
|
|
|
Case Look ups