‘Judge Governments by What They Build, Not Just What They Give’: CEA Calls for a Spending Reset

CEA V Anantha Nageswaran urged judging governments by assets they build rather than transfers, calling for a rethink of state public spending toward infrastructure, skills and long-term assets. He recommended linking welfare to human-capital outcomes, strengthening urban planning, citing Bengaluru, and boosting mineral processing, industrial infrastructure and training to improve India's competitiveness amid rising global resource competition.