Bimal Jalan, former Reserve Bank of India Governor and a former bureaucrat, said the India needs to ensure functional autonomy for its institutions such as Election Commission or Comptroller & Auditor General; and suggested that implementation of government policies be decentralised from the policy making body in order to ensure economic development. "These institutions are accountable to people," Jalan said Kolkata Sunday, suggesting that the country needs to go through political reform to make it happen. "Functional autonomy to UPSC, Election Commission, CAG is important," Jalan said at an event celebrating 202nd anniversary of Presidency University in Kolkata.There has been controversies over the issues related to autonomy of institutions such as RBI, Central Bureau of Investigation, Election Commission and the government has often been criticised for undermining their independence. "If we take a long view, India's economic fundamentals are very strong. "Yet, we have to accept the fact that largest number of below poverty level people in human history is in India.

Source: Economic Times January 20, 2019 13:51 UTC