Ficci toes Anna's line on Govt treasury

Toeing the Anna Hazare line, industry body Ficci on Tuesday said the "people" in charge of the government treasury are "not doing their job effectively".

However, Ficci Secretary General Rajiv Kumar said that the August 30 deadline set by the civil society activist for passage of Jan Lokpal Bill is impractical.

"...The fact is that those people who are expected to use the revenue properly, efficiently and effectively are not doing their job and that is what we need to change," Kumar said at a seminar here.

He said it was time the governance issues were addressed.

The fact that the government resources are not being used properly "is the manifestation of Anna Hazare".

About middle class, which has come out in large numbers in support of the agitation against corruption, Kumar said they "simply had enough".

Unless the quality of governance improves, the country could face basic law and order problem as well, he cautioned.

This was evident from the fastest rising private security industry. While the governance was all about road, electricity and basic infrastructure, "we in the private sector are expected to do (these) ourselves. That is not the way to grow. If that is the way, it will just become a divided society, where we will live inside gated colonies and there will be people banging outside", he added.

The Ficci Secretary General expressed hope that a compromise would be worked between the government and the team Anna and the Jan Lokpal Bill would be taken on board.