The great Indian toilet scam and the fiscal crisis

Ahead of the Union budget, the air is rife with speculation about desperate plots, hatched in the corridors of North Block, to fill the country’s gaping fiscal hole. Some news reports suggest imminent cuts in spending on strategically important sectors such as roads and defence. Others suggest tax-raising measures. Of all the ideas that have been mooted, the proposal to trim the list of centrally sponsored schemes is noteworthy. So-called welfare schemes have exploded in size over the past few years. During 2007-11 (11th Plan), the number of centrally-sponsored schemes grew 50% to 147...

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