Food, Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs Department Minister Saryu Roy on Sunday took development economists, public finance experts and critics down the memory lane of Bihar of 1990s and its political economy of those days during a discussion on his book compiled recently, titled, ‘Samay Ka lekh’.
Experts including Rajya Sabha MP Harivansh, Right to Food Activist Balram, Vinoba Bhave University Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr Ramesh Sharan, Birsa Agricultural University VC Dr Parvinder Kaushal, Economist and Critic Harishwar Dayal, Prabhat Khabar State Editor Anuj Kumar Sinha, lEADS Director AK Singh, Jharkhand Foundation Director Vishnu Rajgarhia and dozens of others converged at a banquet hall in city to discuss on Roy’s book which is basically a compilation of his 39 weekly articles in Bihar edition of Hindi daily Navbharat Times during 1990-92.“When an individual or group of people overrides any system, institutions turn irrelevant and objective decisions are sent back-stage. This (situation) results in unorganized-organised corruption and constitutional custodian of financial system, the government, starts losing its legal hold on financial control.
Those who find established procedures difficult to follow go on hunting short-cut routes…difference in policy and intent creates long-lasting sufferings for public finance management…” said Roy on the occasion of discussion on his book. Harivansh named Roy as visionary writer and politician who sensed economic fate and disparity of today’s Jharkhand some 25 years ago. He said political class forgot ‘moral’ touch while managing economy of the society which ultimately resulted in people of Bihar in those days and of Jharkhand now poorer while few grew like anything on people’s hard-earned money. The book, released by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna last month, stresses upon importance of public finance and disastrous results of mismanagement of it in modern times with Bihar in its backdrop.