The Hindu Business Line : Making a fetish of secrecy

It will be weeks before the reverberations, feeding on each other, of Budget proposals in the media, business houses, stock exchanges, investing firms, financial institutions and other economic players die down. All the Know-Alls would, by that time, have exhausted themselves, often repeating and contradicting their own and one another's opinions, spreading confusion and bewilderment in the bargain!

For all the hashing of the contents, bashing of the whipping boys and gnashing of teeth all round, is there a chance that the Budget, in the totality of its effects, will unravel as foretold in the coming 12 months? Answer: Que sera, sera — whatever will be, will be; the future's not ours to see!

Demystified

However, one good thing that has happened deserves celebration. From being a mysterious and esoteric product of the brains of a few high priests huddled in the dingy catacombs of the Finance Ministry, the Budget has been more and more `demystified' and participatory. Indeed, it is even out in the open, in bits and pieces, in advance of the sacred date of February 28, with the announcement of duty cuts and other financial measures which, in earlier times, would have been held back until the unveiling of the Budget. Except the exact figures, nowadays it is easy to guess what kind of changes are in the offing. People have learned to take Budgets in their stride, without the nail-biting tension that used to characterise the country's mood in olden days.

That is how it should be, for it is the sign of a self-possessed citizenry, transparent governance and well-oiled government machinery. But there is one feature of Budget-making that flies in the face of these desiderata: The suffocating secrecy surrounding its preparation and printing. Here are a few intimidating tidbits from a write-up I came across on the Web: "High-tech tapping devices, an army of security personnel, sophisticated surveillance gadgetry, digital deterrents, electronic sweeping devices and jammers, huge scanners are all pressed into service to provide the tightest security in Indian history to the Union Budget 2007-08. Security agencies have set up a small telephone tapping exchange in North Block. The electronic contraption can intercept private mobile operators' cell numbers. Electronic sweeping devices, installed on either side of the corridors of the Finance Ministry section of the North Block, fortify the security further.

Under e-umbrella

The entrances of the Finance Ministry itself have been cocooned in an electronic umbrella. A huge steel frame, housing a special X-ray scanner fitted with computers, has been mounted at the gates to prevent anyone from taking anything unwelcome inside the North Block or, more importantly, smuggling anything out. A horde of Intelligence Bureau sleuths have taken control of each and every movement and phone call of over a dozen officials in the Ministry to ascertain that the Budget remains shrouded in secrecy till it is presented in Parliament. The IB surveillance scares those under its watchful eyes so much that they prefer not to speak to even their better halves and children lest they are accused of leaking out any Budget proposal..."

What is all this rigmarole and the associated waste of time, energy and resources for? Will the Heavens fall if the rates of taxes and duties and allocations to schemes get known prior to the Budget date? There was perhaps a case for hush-hush in the era of shortages, when the country was in the stranglehold of sellers who could manipulate supplies and prices at will. It is now the era of consumerism when manufacturers and retailers are prostrating themselves before potential buyers. Making a fetish of secrecy in such a situation makes no sense.

B. S. RAGHAVAN