Facebook Pixel Code

Toilet Training

That the story positively invites cutting punchlines is unfair, we think. Too much money spent on a toilet by a government creating a stink about austerity measures is an odious comparison, enough to make anyone want to retire to the Rashtrapati Bhawan lawns.

That the story positively invites cutting punchlines is unfair, we think. Too much money spent on a toilet by a government creating a stink about austerity measures is an odious comparison, enough to make anyone want to retire to the Rashtrapati Bhawan lawns. But we shouldn?t let all this confuse us. After all, there is every possibility that there was a thought-through reason to spruce up a couple of washrooms, that too as a plan expenditure. So we believe BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain has not sensed the spirit of the project, when he uncharitably compared the poverty line estimates (did someone say those have been flushed out of existence?) of R32 per day with a R35 lakh spend on two toilets. Toilets, as we have just been told by the United Nations, in India are more scarce than mobile phones, and heaven knows there are enough of the latter already in Yojana Bhawan. What better way then for the Commission to attempt to redress a balance that can even bring us a tad nearer to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

And for those who argue that the Commission does not keep a tab on the quality of the spend, we demand of those uncharitable ones, an inspection of the facilities. They stand up to the best in the world. Next year?s plan discussions, we are assured, will have some clear results to show for the monies spent.

Get live Share Market updates, Stock Market Quotes, and the latest India News and business news on Financial Express. Download the Financial Express App for the latest finance news.

First published on: 08-06-2012 at 01:56 IST
Market Data
Market Data
Today’s Most Popular Stories ×