Need for governance practices for civil society organization

A good article by Kiran Karnik on the need for good governance mechanisms for civil society organizations.

Orissa fights corruption through technology

Orissa is one of the most backward states in India in terms of socio economic indicators.

As the voice to fight corruption through Lokpal is raised from various quarters, there are initiatives being taken by certain states to fight corruption through systemic change by changing the work flow whereby the possibility of corruption itself is minimized.

One such initiative that is being launched in Orissa is a scheme for reducing child mortality and welfare of mothers. It is termed Mamata and is based on the idea of direct cash transfer to the right persons by minimizing the possibility of the discretion of the middle men to swindle the money midway. The scheme would involve creation of bank accounts (enabled by internet) for the beneficiaries and then a certain sum of money would be directly transferred to the account which would be aimed at benefitting the lady and the expected child towards a healthy future.
There is a risk of not using the money for which the government is giving it out and it can actually be dealt with by giving vouchers instead. There are international studies and experiments done to understand the dynamics of cash transfer and its impact on the problem to which it is being directed.


The good part about the inclination of the state government (Biju Janata Dal) to ensure its sound implementation is the fact that Orissa is heading for its Panchayat polls in 2012. Thus as the country heads in a direction where sound politics gets neatly intertwined with good governance, it surely portends a good future.

As they say it, CSR works best when the business interest of the corporate entity is aligned to the cause that it espouses. Otherwise, it ends up being a green wash at best.

Using technology to fight corruption looks like an easier bet than trying to use ways of changing ossified minds who cannot see anything beyond their own petty interest.

I am optimistic of the UID project- Aadhaar exactly for the above reasons.

Towards inclusive growth

There is a remarkable organized effort in the direction of enhancing the prospects of an inclusive India. Do check out the grand scheme in this article

While on one hand Sam Pitroda is leading efforts to connect the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats through broad band, the UID scheme lead by Nandan Nilekani is geared to provided the much needed identity so that people who should be getting services under various schemes of the government rightly get so. It is very difficult today for an urban youth to understand how UID would change his/her life. Probably the benefit is going to be secondary or tertiary since today he is not the person whom the government is much concerned about.

The challenge lies in terms of bridging the yawning gap that has arisen as a result of globalization making inroads into the length and breadth of a nation where the majority was not in a position to take advantage of the opportunities. Thus when millions of people who are mobile are short of public services simply because they don't have the requisite proof of identity important for that particular state, they may miss out on that important service which could be of value to them.

Moreover in the absence of a consolidated reliable single database of people whom the government wants to reach out to, the possibility of leakage of funds is higher particularly when we talk about a situation where values hold no importance in the eyes of people delivering these vital services.

Thus as internet penetration increases, telecom infra along with the unique identity would have the capacity to ensure that the person is able to get access to funds directly into his bank account without him having to reach out to the evil offical out there waiting with bated breath for his cut in the deal. Schemes like NREGA may be able to make a much better mark in that scenario.

Thus in short these are interesting times for the nation and we should all hope that the effort and vision behind these initiatives actually brings about the change that the country has been waiting for so long a time.

Execution orientation

In continuation of the trend of getting people from the corporate sector, the government has gone ahead and formed a panel of industry experts who have credentials of implementation of great ideas as thats where we need the brightest minds today - translating big ideas into changes on the ground.

One thing that is strong about this government is the interest in getting the right people on board. Will come to the area where it is showing biggest signs of concern.

Report on Higher Education issues in India

A very incisive report on higher education woes in the country. Must read for anyone interested in understanding the space better.

Openness towards private sector expertise

Have a look at the following postings in key Government positions that have been confirmed in the last 8 to 10 months.

• Dr Sam Pitroda - Head Knowledge Commission and former head CDAC and other important institutions was appointed by GOI as Advisor to PM on Innovation, Infrastructure and Information
• Nandan Nilekani- Ex CEO of Infosys- Chairman of the committee responsible for the implementation of UID program at a PAN India level 
• Kaushik Basu - Former Chairman of the Department of Economics, Cornell University, US. He was also the Professor for Centre for Analytic Economics and Program on Comparative Economic Development at the same university.- Chief Economic Advisor to GOI
• Arun Maira- Ex CEO Boston Consulting Group, India.  - Member Planning Commission and recently appointed as the Head of the committee required to figure out changes that need to be brought in at Planning Commission to make this very important division of policy formulation more effective
• Subir Gokarn- Former Chief Economist for Standard & Poor Asia Operations along with other private sector portfolios- Deputy Governor RBI

There are few inferences that can be drawn from the above:

1. Indian government is opening its minds to get quality talent from lateral positions
2. The private sector leaders are willing to occupy highly responsible positions in government divisions
3. Positions at the top in governmental divisions will be more attractive for private sector high performers as compared to middle rung where there would be a lot of sloth, inefficiency and also low income opportunities

I guess its a welcome sign on the part of the government to show indications of getting expertise from areas where government surely needs specialists as against the the generalist babus. A big change which is yet to be seen in the government human resource approach would be when the policies would allow people from the private sector to actually move in to government sector and vice versa. This osmosis might allow a lot of best practices of the private sector to be shared with government bodies and would help in strengthening the human resource machinery which is far from perfect requires fresh ideas and energy at various levels. The challenge would also be to make the culture at governmental divisions attractive enough for people who are more comfortable with the MNC work culture and professionalism.

The pace of change is too slow to be noticed or talked about but the fact is that these may be good trends which might gain momentum in the years to come. 

Innovative way to engage with Citizens in Burundi

Interesting example of using Radio for connecting with citizens in Burundi to sort out corruption issues.

Really liked this approach by Burundi's Minister of using Radio as a medium to engage with the citizens to listen to their woes of corrupt practices of governance.

An outlet to express one's thoughts to someone who has the capacity to take decision and do something about it can be of immense help in a society where people are getting fed up of the situation and are at the brink of losing their control over their actions.

Internal Security Forces in India

Quite interesting, concise and condense piece of information on Indian Internal Security Forces.

(Click on the image to expand)

State tightens its grip over IIMs

IIM All Yours!

Another case of the muscle headedness and high handedness on the part of the State to stifle the autonomy of higher education in India. The victim in this case is the group of premier Management Schools in India.

When will the politicians understand that true leaders believe in empowerment. Holding power to oneself and using it in a high handed manner is a sign of supreme insecurity and evil tendencies.

But when has HRD Minisiter Arjun Singh cared for these voices!

A case of negatively reinforcing loop for the weaker cities

Interesting article on municipal financing in the JNNURM project.
It makes a strong case on why the government approach is flawed in favouring the cities which already have the capacity to pull investment from the market. The government needs to play a role of putting more weight behind cities which need its support and which are considered to be unattractive by the market due to various reasons.