Letters: From prosperity to despair

In his column, "Coping with regional disparities" (September 2), Ashok K Lahiri does not take into account three important factors responsible for the situation economically laggard states find themselves in: poor administration, population explosion and corruption.

Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar were among the few better administered states in the 1950s. The slide started with the deterioration in the quality of political leadership. Proportionately, corruption increased and soon became rampant. Plans and projects were, of course, conceived, but the political 'mafia' dictated the release of tenders and execution. The result was that many projects, including development of infrastructure, were either not properly executed or remained on paper. Maintenance of law and order took a back seat. Look at the fate of the National Rural Health Mission in UP. Besides, there was no control over population growth in UP and Bihar. No amount of central assistance will help if corruption and population explosion in these states are not checked.

B P Nailwal Dehradun

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