Amidst the protest in New Delhi by the Karnataka and Kerala government over funds disparity in the Interim Budget, the Centre will likely present a White Paper, which it had announced on February, for which the Parliament session has been extended by a day. The White Paper will compare the performance of the Indian economy before and after 2014.
The Centre had announced during the Interim Budget that it will compare the economic performance of 10 years of the Congress-led UPA with 10 years of BJP-led NDA government.
What is a White Paper?
It is a government document, based on research and information, which is presented to highlight new policies, issues and achievements. It is usually colour-coded in a white cover and can have public access, according to the Stanford Law School.
The Stanford Law School defines a white paper as “an authoritative report or guide that often addresses issues and how to solve them”. Thus, it is “used in politics and business, as well as in technical fields, to educate readers and help people make decisions”.
Why the Govt Wants to Issue It?
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said during the Interim Budget 2024-25 that the Indian economy was in “crisis” in 2014 when Narendra Modi took over the office, and blamed the previous UPA government for “mismanagement”.
The White Paper will look at “where we were then till 2014, and where we are now, only for the purpose of drawing lessons from mismanagement of those years”.
It will also cover topics such as fiscal policy, monetary policy, trade policy and exchange rate policy, and overall the Indian economic policy over the years.
When was it introduced?
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill presented the white paper in 1922 to highlight details of his government’s policy on Palestine, following the riots that broke out in the Jaffa region.
So, can the government present as many white papers?
Yes, there is no cap or specific guideline as to how often the government is required to table the white paper. The government can choose to issue white papers on any subject at any given point of time during its tenure.
The Modi government has so far presented two white papers, on the Railways in August 2014 on the revenue model and freight and fare rationalisation.
Are white papers only for the Centre?
No, white papers can be presented by the state assemblies too. Recently, Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy had issued a white paper on the mismanagement of the previous BRS government led by K Chandrashekar Rao, and claimed that the state debt increased from Rs 76,000 crore to Rs 6 lakh crore under his government.
Last July, the BJP had demanded a white paper from the Congress government in Chhattisgarh on the paddy procurement from farmers.
According to ANI, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is planning to bring a ‘Black Paper’ in response to the Centre’s white paper, sources said.
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