The stubborn refusal to look reality in the face and the wish for a good old daddy saviour has been our norm for 75 years. Amidst the advocacy of unrealistic planning, inability to make timely decisions, lacking focus on homegrown measures and not being able to take the bull by the horns we have been dreaming of biogas, hydrogen, creating a market for the rice stubble, the country’s RE potential and coal gasification as our saviour.

Only a country with an analytical mindset can find real solutions. The answer is not by resorting to belief in the things being done in the West. There is a time lag in ability and execution. Per the UN trade chief, the rich world uses green policies to hold back the poor.

History shows the gestation period for structural changes, project development, and execution has had a disconnect with policy and five-year plans void of action plans and strategy. The evaluation of Thar, Reko Diq, EXIMP Bank, privatization, hydel, and nuclear projects including other structural reforms will reaffirm this inability and also identify process improvements to bring about any change – if we want to. But who will bell the cat?

Unless our Planning Commission becomes the equivalent of China’s NDRC which was established as the State Planning Commission in 1952: third-ranked executive department (a constituent of the state council/cabinet) functioning as a macroeconomic management agency with broad administrative and planning control over the economy of mainland China. Its subsidiary is the National Data and National Energy Administration responsible for energy policy, decision-making, formulating development strategies, coordinating energy development as well as international cooperation on energy. The earlier suggestion of PIDC is........

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