Economy
Fiscal responsibility -- to whom?
The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Bill, 2000, which has already been tabled in Parliament, involves an attempt to reduce the capacity of future governments to respond to national needs and democratic pressures, in favour of adhering to arbi trary rules laid down by finance capital. In this edition of Macroscan, C. P. Chandrasekhar and Jayati Ghosh discuss the assumptions behind the Bill, its main operational elements, and the implications of making it law.

Disaster management -- A national responsibility
IT IS heartening to see that the Centre has agreed to reimburse the Gujarat Government the full cost of rebuilding the property, totally lost or damaged by the earthquake that shook Bhuj, Anjar, et al down to rubble, with even the distant Ahmedabad suffe ring severe damage to many high-rise buildings.

Meeting economic growth agenda
India should try to achieve rapid growth via the export route as it has the resource base, the entrepreneurship, access to the sea coast, a vast labour force, everything except the interest of the government which has neglected this for long. It must als o leverage areas where it has comparative advantage especially information technology where it is an acknowledged leader. And, obviously, it must give top priority to infrastructure, which is now abysmal.

Editorial
Road to Yangon
THERE ARE AT least three ways in which the recent visit of the Union External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, to Myanmar can be evaluated. One, on grounds of strengthening economic relations. Two, of integrating Myanmar in a regional framework of whi ch India is a part. And three on political grounds considering that the Yangon regime -- the State Law and Order Restoration Council -- is run by a military junta which has had no qualms in trampling upon the democratic aspirations of the people manifest ed in nationwide elections, the abiding symbol of which is the continuing house arrest of the popular pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

States
Resilient Gujaratis
AFTER having stayed in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, for well over 13 years, I decided to move down South with a heavy heart. Gujaratis are some of the most wonderful people I have come across. I always carried sweet memories of Gujarat, thanks to the warmth and h ospitality of many friends in Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Rajkot and elsewhere.

Page One | Index | Home