Food for work

Large corporations operating in Chhattisgarh are often criticised for not investing enough in local development to foster growth and prosperity in the state. But in one instance at least, they were literally responsible for feeding those who claim to be concerned about these issues. Recently, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marched out on a vikas yatra, ostensibly to showcase Chief Minister Raman Singh's work on development. Since the operative word was "vikas" (progress), local leaders and bureaucrats decided that corporations had to be involved in some way. So industrial houses were told to be part of Chhattisgarh's "vikas" by arranging food for those accompanying the chief minister on the yatra. The CEO of a leading public sector company was even asked to welcome the chief minister when he passed through his project area. This request put the CEO in a fix. How could he attend a BJP-sponsored programme when the Congress was in power at the Centre? The remedy: the company arranged the lunch for 250 people, including the chief minister, when the yatra reached the project site.