Echo T Calling E-Book

Shailendra Joshi

• Herausgeber: Pratap Chowdary
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

‘Echo T Calling’ - Towards People-Centric Governance; is all about administration, public policy, and Governance in India as narrated by a career bureaucrat with experience spanning over almost four decades.
 
The book covers a wide array of topics ranging from “laughter is the best medicine” to "the relevance of swadeshi in the modern perspective".
 
The author has treated the various topics in this book with an innate simplicity that is likely to be of interest to each and every reader who is connected to the present and concerned about the future of India.


From the Author's Desk:

The book is not just a bunch of musings on seemingly unconnected topics but has a heart and soul of its own bringing out a fresh perspective on the issues faced by a common person in their everyday life. The expectation is that the readers will find the book stimulating and largely relatable. I hope that it inspires them to ponder upon and attempt to find solutions to the various issues discussed in this book.
 
- Shailendra Joshi

Leseprobe

ECHO T CALLING

Towards People Centric Governance

by

Dr. Shailendra Kumar Joshi

IAS (Retd), former Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana

When asked to describe our work, it is not just a means of survival but as a source of personal pride, identity and real meaning of life. No job is big or small. Be your personal best in your job. This will help all of us in making a world of difference.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

About the Author

Acknowledgment

Echo T Calling

Governance

Yeh Jo Public Hai Sab Janti Hai (Public Knows All)

Governance as a function of Individuals, Institutions, and Processes (IIPs)

Purpose of Governance

Governance Styles

Representative Democracy

Standard Operating Procedures

Checks and Balances

One Upmanship

Public Interest Litigation (PIL)

What is Needed to Fix the System?

Excesses by the Executive

Co-operative Movement

Distrusting our Own People

Innovations - A Game Changer

The Silos and Ivory Towers

Dispute Resolution

State Litigation Policy

The Three-Tiered Administration

Significance of Mental health

The Water Woes

Political Acumen

The Statute of Justice

Citizens at the Center of Equation

Local Community as A Stakeholder

Celebration of National Days

The Big Brother

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)

Payback Time

Access to Resources

Aspirational Districts

The Obvious Truth

Different Shades of Bigotry

Sports Quota in Medicine

The Third Gender

The Achilles’ Heel – Higher Education in India

Schools and Education

The Language Cauldron

Sanskrit and Urdu as National Languages

The Working Hours

Encounters of the Close Kind

Kaleshwaram Project

Pennywise Pound Foolish

The Foreign Policy

Rejuvenation of Rivers

Dilemma of Bureaucracy

Ease of Living (EoL) and Ease of Doing Business (EoDB)

Sharing of River Waters

Economy and New Schemes

Changing Color of Money

Role of Lawyers

Festivals in India

Life of Ba and Bapu

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Bridging the Gaps

First in Welfare

Indomitable Will

Food and Nutrition

Environment

Technology

People are the Masters

Preventing Man-made Disasters

Social Media

Unforgettable Teachers

Women and Children

Road Safety in India

Humane Approach to Land Acquisition

Rewarding Agriculture

Mana (Our) Hyderabad

Importance of Irrigation

Enhancing Water use Efficiency in Irrigation

Delhi Days

The Case of Public Healthcare

Annual Financial Statements

A New Approach to Urbanization

Swadeshi in Modern Perspective

Ecosystem Approach in Making Atmnirbhar Bharat

The Twilight Zone

The Lure of Civil Services

Farmers - The Annadata

Youth - Hope of the Nation

Demographic Dividend

Children of Macaulay

Micro Insurance

Future Ready Civilization

Information Technology and Communication Industry in India: The Way Forward

Journey through My Eyes by - Smt Anuradha Joshi

Synergy

Closing Thoughts

Reviews

Glossary of Terms

Foreword

Shailendra, I prefer to address him as SKJ, a ‘Rajarshi’ in many ways, has painstakingly chronicled some of his experiences and learnings over decades of association with governance. While most of the lessons drawn here, I must say, are based on his personal experiences on his axiom of optimization and, in his own words, “maximum good for the largest number of people.”

It is his concern for the common man that helped him administer with a humane touch and not get swayed away by extraneous considerations.

As the Governor of the state, I had observed him and seen his work from close quarters. In my opinion, determination and accountability at all levels, as a ‘mool mantra’, is the secret of his success.

He has discussed several topics that affect people from every segment of society. SKJ’s views on governance are discerning. Equally insightful is his take on the issues and challenges of the common people.

He has decoded several facets of administration in a manner that relates to the common people. SKJ has divided governance into three main components, namely, institutions, individuals and processes. In other words, Governance, as he practiced and aptly, is a total of the empathy, thinking, and execution of processes by individuals steering various institutions for the betterment of society.

He is passionate about the idea of ‘ease of living’ and believes good governance is the bedrock of a happy and fair society. He brought his passion for working everyday for the last seven years that I knew him and am sure he will live with it through his life.

A positive approach with the right mix of trust, accountability, human touch, innovative thinking is the best recipe for success in administration. SKJ had also made a distinction between the ‘rule of law’ and the ‘rule of individuals.’ While the first one is sustainable, the latter is unsustainable and crumbles under its own weight. The ‘rule of law’ rather than ‘rule of individuals’ should, therefore, be adhered to every time and under all circumstances.

A thriving democracy like India can enhance opportunity and happiness only when all the four pillars of democracy, namely, the executive, legislature, judiciary and media are in sync and work in tandem.

Inclusion, fair play and justice are the hallmarks of a happy society. There are lessons to be drawn for all from these penned thoughts of SKJ. In his unique straight forward style, he opens up his heart and compels the reader to think. The underlined message in the book is to encourage the readers to ponder and to decide for themselves how they can enhance the happiness quotient in society.

Let this thought always guide everyone’s actions. Those in some sort of position of power and authority should always remember that one day each one of them will necessarily be an ordinary member of this great society of human beings. The litmus test would be whether their actions or inactions when in a position, should leave them happy. Blessings of society are essential. Never forget that an individual can only prosper if the overall society is in harmony.

With an intriguing title and unconventional organization of topics in this book, SKJ’s writing is thought-provoking. This book is neither a prescription for administrators, nor is the attempt made to teach people. If the ideas can encourage people to debate and engage in a meaningful conversation, this book would have made a difference.

I am pleased to introduce this book, hoping that the readers will get a stimulating experience.

ESL NarasimhanFormer Governor of Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

ChennaiDated 20 June 2020

Preface

Broadly, there are three types of people in society. First, those who read, think, debate and analyze (intellectuals) but often develop cold feet when it comes to implementation. The second category is of those who implement (administrators), but they do not have either time or inclination to do some serious reading. Of course, exceptions could be there in both categories. Lastly, the third type consists of those who don’t belong to the first two categories. This third category of people is important as they all have the potential and indeed, can rise to the occasion to ‘guide the public opinion’ and to ‘drive the agenda’. Thus, the third category of people could basically be ‘the change agents.’

To satisfy the requirements of both ‘intellectuals’ and ‘practitioners of administration’ on the one hand, and the ‘potential change agents’ on the other hand, this book is written and designed in such a way that it is easy to navigate through and has something for everyone.

Based on ideas shared in this book, intellectuals may wish to construct new models, recalibrate the existing models and develop alternate theories, while administrators may think of exploring practical ways to tackle issues with a fresher perspective. Similarly, progressive people in the third category will be motivated to raise societal concerns in an effective manner.

I hope that the ideas contained in the book meet with the expectations of all those who read and do not implement; implement but do not read and the potential change agents. All readers will find a resonance with the book as most of the themes touch human lives as well.

Many possible topics could have been included. Neither all such themes form part of this book, nor are the topics covered, exhaustively dealt with. The treatment that is given to various topics merely highlights the issue and is intended to motivate stakeholders to initiate a dialogue, make informed choices and be part of the implementation of a positive agenda.

In this book, I have endeavored to open new vistas that will further enhance the possibilities of meaningful discussion and actionable points. Brevity is the essence of this book, having an intriguing title and random sequencing of topics done deliberately so that one can pick up the topic based on the interest and the mood. Readers can start the book from any page but cannot restrain themselves without completing the book. The title of the book will generate some curiosity, but like most things in life, it gets unfolded at an appropriate place.

Shailendra JoshiHyderabadJune 29, 2020

About the Author

Shailendra Joshi

[email protected]

[phone]

Hyderabad, India

Shailendra is a multidisciplinary professional having diverse experience at the state, national and international levels. He has been involved in the implementation of several large infrastructure projects and developmental activities in India. His forte is bringing in even the most complicated projects under budget and ahead of schedule. Based on his in-depth knowledge of global, national, and local environmental issues, he is at present, one of the leading experts on the subject in the country.

Shailendra has participated and represented India in a large number of international negotiations and had been associated with the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro (1992) to United Nations Conference on sustainable development at Johannesburg (2002). He has been the national focal point of India for climate change, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI).

Shailendra is an alumnus of the two most prestigious Indian Institute of Technologies in India, namely IIT, Roorkee (Bachelor of Engineering), and IIT, Delhi (Master of Technology). He holds a Doctoral degree in the field of public policy. His PhD Dissertation on “Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers and the Environment” (the TERI School of Advanced Studies) is dedicated to a topic at the cusp of the economic theory of federalism and environmental concerns. Shailendra is one of the first LEAD fellows (Leadership for Environment and Development, London) from India belonging to the Cohort of 1991. He is also a fellow of the institution of engineers.

As a public servant with thirty-seven years of experience, he has served in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Shailendra has also worked for eleven years in the central government. After serving for two years as Chief Secretary of Government of Telangana, Dr. Joshi, after superannuating on 31st Dec 2019, is currently an advisor to the government of Telangana.

Shailendra has worked on sustainable development in the areas of management of Water Resources, Information Technology and Communications, Environment, Energy, Health, Urban Development and Public Administration.

Acknowledgment

‘Echo T Calling’ is all about governance, public policy and administration in India. It brings out the essence of my learnings of almost four decades at different administrative hierarchies. At the outset, I acknowledge the contribution of many individuals in public life, my friends and colleagues who helped me in bringing this book together from scratch.

I am indebted to the former Governor of Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ESL Narasimhan, a competent administrator and a police officer par excellence, the main source of inspiration to me in penning down this book. Each interaction with him has helped me in moderating and fine-tuning many ideas contained in the book.

I also acknowledge with a deep sense of gratitude the opportunity given to me to work in several capacities, including the Chief Secretary, in his administration by Sri K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) Garu, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Telangana, a master strategist and a visionary. He has initiated and implemented several innovative schemes ever since he took the reigns of Telangana on June 2, 2014. Some of these schemes and their implementation models find a place in this book. I consider myself fortunate to have worked under him ever since the formation of Telangana state and to be a recipient of his continued benevolence.

The unswerving support from my wife Anuradha and daughter Rhea has been the key strength of my life. I am fortunate to have them standing by my side through thick and thin. Incidentally, one section in the book is also penned by my wife, Anuradha. Rhea has designed the cover page of the book and acted as an independent observer. My heartfelt thanks are also due to my parents, all my Gurus, friends, and colleagues for making me what I am today.

I do acknowledge the valuable contributions of my editor, publisher, printer, designer, and publicist in bringing out this book to my readers in the form it is. Among many, supporting me in this endeavor, I sincerely appreciate the role of Sri Pratap Chowdary, Dr. Vikas Singh, Sri Deborah Rani, and Sri Raju Girra in for bringing out this book.

Last but not least, I salute the ‘common man’ for his perseverance, practical knowledge and first-hand experiences. With the blessings of my parents, I dedicate this book to all the citizens of this great country ever aspiring for good governance.

Certain parts of the narrative in this book may look critical, but it is not directed against anyone in particular. To borrow and take liberty from late Sardar Khushwant Singh, it is malice towards “none but all”.

The book compels introspection and to improve the overall quality of governance. The aim of sharing my experience in the form of this book, therefore, is to try to improve the system by making it humane and more equitable.

Author

ECHO T CALLING

आनभद्रा: क्रतवोयन्तुविश्र्वत्:

“Let noble thoughts come from everywhere in the World: Rg. Veda”

“Four seasons fill the measure of the year; there are four seasons in the mind of man;” said famous English poet John Keats. For a bureaucrat, there are many seasons in the professional life to “wade through the brook and tramp through the snow.” With nearly four decades of experience of being a public servant, having served the society from village to the international level, and enriched by interactions from the grassroots to the topmost level, I am privileged to, somewhat, understand nuances of the governance.

While in service, most of the civil servants look like mute spectators to happenings around them. Thus, people often question the very credibility of bureaucracy. The reason is simple. Due to restrictions on the ‘freedom of expression’ during the service, silence is said to be golden. It is, therefore, seen that wisdom dawns on a bureaucrat only post-retirement. The same is the case with me and for that, I seek your indulgence. I think now is the time to share my perspectives on a wide range of topics. On some of them, my views may even challenge conventional wisdom. This is done just to facilitate thinking differently.

The primary purpose of any administrative structure is to provide an enabling environment leading to ease of living (EoL) for all citizens. The term EoL encompasses several components, which are meant for improving the overall quality of life of the people.

This book is a kaleidoscope of views, thoughts, and random observations on various hues of topics touching people’s lives, even impacting it. I am sure; my thoughts on various subjects will throw some new insight, kindle debate, and allow fresh approach to deal with issues raised.

Governance

In the context of our country, governance especially, good governance, has a historical significance and the term is as old as our civilization. In our ancient scriptures, there is mention of “Raj Dharma” which can be equated to good governance that we are talking of in our times. “Raj Dharma” means there is no separate rule for the King and his people, but both have to abide by the same set of rules and regulations.

A king should always protect the interest of his people and promote their welfare. It is written in Kautilya’s Arthashastra- “In the happiness of his people lies the King’s happiness, in their welfare his welfare, whatever pleases himself, he shall not consider as good, but whatever pleases his people, he shall consider as good.” This quote captures the essence of good governance.

During the independence struggle, Mahatma Gandhi also talked about “Ram Rajya”, another poignant concept etched in the Indian ethos. In deference to the so-called public opinion, the king Ram left his pregnant wife Sita in a forest, despite her passing through the ‘Agni pariksha’ and he himself being convinced about her innocence. In this case, the public opinion was that of a single person, a washerman quarreling with his wife being suspicious about her character. Ram once again sacrificed his personal life for upholding the probity or integrity in public life.

Earlier, Ram, for the sake of ‘Raj Dharma’ of king Dashrath, accepted the exile for fourteen long years to honor the promise given by his father to Queen Kaikeyi. Ram didn’t bat an eyelid before denouncing his creature comforts on each occasion for the sake of ‘Raj Dharma’. Keeping these instances in view, one gets the impression that Ram did justice to neither himself nor Sita, his wife and nor to his unborn children. He may be criticized by some for it, but for him, ‘Raj Dharma’ was supreme. That is the reason, even later, people talk about his rule.

Such were the exacting standards of “Ram Rajya”. These days one can’t even think of coming anywhere closer to such high moral values and public probity. It goes without saying that Gandhi Ji’s construct of “Ram Rajya”, is an administrative and political ideal without having any religious connotation.

Having said so, a quick check on the ground reality of governance in modern India is an eye-opener. As a welfare state saddled with the task of development, both the union and state Governments take up a large number of programs ranging from ‘public distribution system for food grains’ to construction of ‘dignity housing’. Provisioning of proper financial and other resources for the implementation of such programs and schemes is ‘sine qua non.’

In their anxiety to cover all the sections of society at the same time, Governments often end up spreading public resources too thin, leading to dilution of accountability on the one hand, and time and cost overruns on the other hand. Mature leadership in the country is aware of the relationship between the inadequacy of financial resources for a program with less accountability, and time and cost overruns.

Of late, recognizing the limitations on account of unsustainable fiscal gap, many political parties and leaders now engage people on social issues and campaigns involving limited expenditure. They also know that such public campaigns can engage people for a while but cannot be a substitute for their expectations for improved standards of living.

Therefore, competitive polity results in an announcement of attractive populist schemes without any clue to the availability of resources. At the implementation stage, due to a lack of resources, accountability gets watered down. In addition, our planning, designing, and service delivery mechanism is less than optimum. In fact, the delivery of social and developmental programs in India needs an overhaul.

The efficacy of our delivery mechanism for developmental activities may be assessed from the fact that even the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi remarked in 1985 that “only 15 paisa of every rupee meant for the welfare of people reaches them”. Some basic analysis of what happens to the rest of 85 paisa reveals high establishment costs, and inexplicable transmission and distribution losses, a euphemism for leakages and pilferage.

Several attempts had been made to improve the system but with limited success. This fact is well known, experienced by all of us, but unfortunately not addressed adequately. There is a dire need to improve the system, but the concerning part is the lack of political will and the administrative resolve to challenge the status quo, as it suits well-entrenched vested interests.

It may be recalled that the independence movement was mainly for two reasons, namely, establishing ‘swaraj’ (self-rule) and ‘surajya’ (good governance). We have achieved ‘ swaraj’ in 1947 for which all of us are grateful to courageous freedom fighters. However, the other component, ‘surajya’ is still a work in progress. Surajya still looks a distant dream. In our country, good governance remains an issue of concern since independence.

Several scandals had broken out in India from time to time. However, it took center stage during the 1990s after the Bofors scandal and subsequent developments, which shook the foundation of the Indian establishment. Taking a cue, the then, Planning Commission highlighted the issue of governance. The ninth five-year plan (1997-2002) document released in 1999 had a chapter on implementation and delivery mechanism, thus reckoning for the first time issue of the governance deficit in India. In this chapter of the plan document, a review had been done, identifying the weak spots in the implementation of plans and to find solutions to the weaknesses. It also raised the issue of accountability and transparency in the implementation of plans.

The tenth five-year plan (2002-2007) document had a more specific chapter titled “Governance and implementation”. It defined the role of center and state in the implementation of the plan and their duties in providing opportunities to the people and businesses. The chapter also describes the people’s participation in political, social and financial activities. It stressed that the policies or programs implemented should be non-discriminatory, transparent, socially sensitive and accountable to the public. This approach also fell short by not fixing accountability for not achieving the intended objectives.

Subsequently, several attempts had been made by various stakeholders to varying degrees of success, introducing elements of good governance. Somehow, most of these success stories remained confined locally and failed to propagate elsewhere. On a more in-depth analysis, one finds that these success stories are led by a protagonist (an individual or a group) in a specific context. The same formula doesn’t work elsewhere in the absence of either the protagonist or a different situation.

By bringing in systemic changes in our mindset, approach, accountability, and proper implementation can lead us to good governance. This could be achieved only when each one of us follows our ‘dharma’, irres pective of worrying about the short term consequences. Again, one can’t restrain oneself from quoting Mahatma Gandhi. “Be the change yourself that you want to see in others,” very aptly said, Mahatma Gandhi. Wake up and arise, my fellow citizens, as the entire world is keenly watching us whether we can or cannot achieve ‘surajya’, a pre-requisite for sustainable development.

Modern technology and governance methods are expected to improve human life and material well-being. However, this depends on the parallel moral progress of man. As good governance has not yet been incorporated as a way of life by all of us, the country is groping in the dark in search of ‘surajya’ since independence in 1947.

Yeh Jo Public Hai Sab Janti Hai (Public Knows All)

Irrespective of their socio-economic and cultural background, the Indian public is very mature and politically enlightened. Recent trends in Parliament and Assembly polls have shown that the Indian electorate in increasing numbers is moving away from caste, money, and religious considerations. People are well aware of Governmental programs and schemes and their implementation on the ground level. Naturally, on various aspects related to governance, people have experiences to share as it touches their lives.