Thread by @ptrmadurai

#ThreadAlert Entering electoral politics after a ~30 yr. expat professional career has been an incredible learning experience. Some day, I hope I'll find the time to write about it in detail. For now, I want to touch on two troubling aspects showing a decline in our Democracy 1/n

First, a statistic to explain the extent to which the role of the Legislature has been reduced. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed 16 Bills (new or amended laws) in the final hours, of the last day, of the month-long Demand-for-Grants session which finished July 20th 2/n

The total time allowed for discussion (on only 4 of 16 bills), was about 12 minutes! Also, 13 of the 16 Bills had been delivered to the Members/placed on the Table of the House only in the last 3 days of the session. 3 of them on the last day after we reached the Assembly! 3/n

Remember that Tamil Nadu has only 1 Legislative body (Council abolished by MGR in the 1980's). If this Legislative body's members do not even see Bills till hours before they're passed, where is the deliberative role for the legislature as envisaged in the Constitution? 4/n

The Legislature is now a rubber-stamp for ruling party's law-making agenda. There are many causes for this, & potential remedies, but I'll leave that for wiser people to debate, for now. Instead I want to touch on something that compounds the problem of lack of debate/review 5/n

There is a staggering INNUMERACY (mathematical illiteracy) in so many of the Govt's Policy Statements & Bills. Numbers are cited mindlessly, without proper thought to what they imply at a practical/policy level. And the real tragedy is that many times, no one seems to to care 6/n

There are so many instances of innumeracy (one or more in every Govt. Dept.) that I've decided to write articles regularly, citing a case in each Dept. Today, I want to start with a particularly bad instance: revival of a very important Land Acquisition Law post HC judgement 7/n

The Bill's first page & Explanatory note, are attached (now public information after Bill was placed in the house & passed). Consider the NUMBERS on the explanation page. The Govt. openly admits that it has only put ~5.8% of "acquired land" (1,373 of 23,804 ha) to actual use! 8/n

Note this Bill (law) is being revived to overcome MHC Court verdict. Is a history of such poor utilization a positive argument for continued acquisition, or an argument against? Now look at the next number: Cost of acquisition of remaining 22,431 ha = ~Rs. 1.85 LAKH CRORES. 9/n

Numbers lead to second question

2) The entire '19-'20 Budget voted for TN is 2.17 Lakh Crores - of which >70% if for Salaries, Pensions, Interest, etc. So ENTIRE discretionary amount =~60,000 Crores. So how long will it take to raise 1.85 Lakh Crores just for acquisition? 10/n

Remember, ~60,000 Crores is to pay for all other expenses like Capital Investment, Govt Schemes, Ration Supplies, Scholarships, etc. So at best, Govt. can set aside a few 1,000 Crores for acquisition/year. Also it's running big deficits, so increasing borrowings not possible 11/n

Realistically, it would take over a DECADE to pay out 1.85 Lakh Crores to complete the acquisitions. What happens to the uncompensated owners during that time? And what of the dead-weight loss to the economy of acquired but un-utilized land (~95% of the total area)? 12/n

3rd question

3) Is using 1.85 LAKH CRORES to acquire land, to create JUST 1.8 LAKH JOBS a good investment?

That is, over Rs. 1 CRORE Of LAND COST for EVERY JOB TO BE CREATED? How many Crores ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT on the land (roads, building, power, water) to create jobs? 13/n

Surely, the numbers just don't make sense.

Before comments on lousy politicians, etc. start, let me caution that despite good press coverage, I haven't heard any great outcry about lack of viability of these numbers in either press or public.

Politicians reflect Society? 14/14

@threadreaderapp Unroll please