Policy paralysis: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must act to keep the India growth story intact

It is all very well for the Prime Minister to say that he will cut red tape, reassure investors and keep the India growth story intact. He can hardly say the opposite.

The whole point is to act, rather than talk or set up yet more committees to produce yet another report on a subject on which an endless number of committees have already produced an equal number of reports.

Of the 40,000 MW of power generation capacity added over the last two years, only 6,000 MW of capacity generates power, the rest idles for want of coal or want of regulatory permission to pass on the higher cost of imported coal to willing consumers.

Scrap the anti-national Coal Mines Nationalisation Act. This will not only ensure that the country's coal sector transforms from a dark realm of loot and thuggery to an efficient supplier of the country's most abundant fuel but also reassure potential investors that India is serious about economic growth.

Muster courage to implement a Cabinet decision to decontrol diesel, and institute competition, including from independent operators, in the retailing of petro-fuels. This will slash the fiscal deficit, reduce inefficiency at India's oil companies and increase energy efficiency across the spectrum.

By reducing the fiscal deficit, the reform would also reduce the current account deficit, thereby easing pressure on the rupee. This move, too, would go a long way in restoring investor confidence.

Make progress on the ground on implementing the goods and services tax, getting the IT infrastructure and procedural framework for seamless integration of the tax ready. This will put pressure on the BJP-led states holding out against the transition.

Concrete action of this kind is what we need, to restore investor confidence and get the economy vrooming. Kind words of good intent spoken with sincerity are always welcome. But the big stick that needs to back up soft talk is what has been missing and needs to be found.