What's in name? Ask Shourie

From strategic sales to strategic marketing — disinvestment minister Arun Shourie appears to be in the process of carrying out a significant reshuffling of priorities.
The first thing to be marketed is the concept of privatisation itself and that calls for a total brand makeover, Shourie appears to believe. Nothing else can explain his plea to rename his ministry as the reinvestment ministry.
"I have been pleading with the Prime Minister to name the ministry as reinvestment ministry," said Shourie, addressing a day-long seminar on disinvestment here today. Disinvestment has a negative connotation which reinvestment would dispel. Shourie said the word ''disinvestment'' itself is a misnomer. The aim of the process was to increase investment and reinvestment. Shourie''s concern about the image of his ministry''s function is not unnatural, given the political wrangling that has been going on about selling off ''the nation''s jewels''.
The government was completly open and transparent in matters relating to disinvestment of the PSUs. In Parliament there have been four debates; he answered over 800 questions. But still "useless proposals and worthless allegations are always coming up," he said.
Opposition parties had raised a hue and cry about disinvestment. From 1991 to 1997, 39 companies had been disinvested by Congress government, out of which 37 were profit making and only two were making losses.
In the last two years, two thirds of the 35 enterprises which were disinvested, were loss making.
Under planned development, said Shourie, "India from being an enabling state, became a licensed state, an octroi post."