It’s almost 4
days since I heard Prime Minister Modi address the nation from Red Fort on 15th
August 2014. I must confess that as a Government servant, for the first time, I
am feeling enthused and excited that I am working for a Government that is
headed by a leader who has a vision and a roadmap for the nation. It’s not that this
was the first speech that I was listening to an Independence Day – though this
was the first time I had gone to attend the 15th August function at
Red Fort. One reason for this was obviously the buzz that it was mandatory for
us to attend. However, the more compelling reason was my Dad, who was very keen
to attend and had asked me almost a month back if it was possible to get
passes. I have seen my Dad transforming from an online enrolled AAP member to a
die-hard Modi Fan. Many a dinner conversations we have had regarding the
strengths and weaknesses of the leaders we have and over a period of time, I
have found myself getting to agree more with his beliefs in the new leader.
So we went, early morning and
were lucky enough to get seats which gave us a view of the podium as well as
the feel of the surrounding ambience. What impressed me most was the tone of
the speech. It was so very different from the Lalan College, Bhuj speech that
he delivered last year. That was of course an election mode speech but the tone
was too adversarial. As compared to that, this year there were no negative
sentiments. He began by acknowledging previous Prime Ministers and thanking the
opposition for the support in getting important legislation passed. This was a
changed Prime Minister – it appeared as if a true leader and a statesman is in
the making.
However what made me his fan was the
simple ideas. The thoughts on Bureaucracy, Sanitation, Women, Manufacturing,
Skills and E Governance were music to my ears. The icing on the cake was the decision
on Planning Commission. I have myself endured the tyranny of the Commission
which has caused delays of at least 9 to 12 months for the EFC and Cabinet
proposals mooted by my Department. The problem with Planning Commission has
been that it gets into an executive role and starts taking decisions for the
Departments which is totally a transgression of authority as Departments must
be free to conceptualize their schemes within their planned and budgetary
outlays. Role of Planning Commission needs to be to bring in synergies between
Departments and come up with long term vision and plans rather than tinkering
with the day to day functioning of the Departments. It would have been
wonderful had the ideas regarding merger of Departments like Steel-Mines-Coal
and Power-New and Renewable Energy et al came from the Planning Commission. Even
the experts on PPP in Planning Commission are so convinced of their own points
of view that they would refuse to entertain any alternate perspective and would
even refuse to share soft copies of documents. The institution had become truly
archaic and if what has been announced is implemented it would cut the internal
red tape of the Government by a great deal.
Another notable feature of the
Speech was that it was not presented as a certificate for the greatness that we
normally bestow upon ourselves. There was no mention of our rockets and
missiles, our super power status, our potential economic might or how we
stalled an agreement at WTO. There was no thumping of chests for the Gujarat
model or what all the Parliament just achieved in the Monsoon session. The
Speech had elements which read like the To Do list of a serious CEO of the
nation. The issues identified and the ideas espoused are so very relevant. The
take on rape and crime against women was so very different than the ‘Boys would
be Boys’ mindsets. The target of all schools with toilets for girls is so very
achievable. Similarly the model village concept gave an action plan for all the
elected MPs and will definitely have a trickle-down effect if the Rural Development
Ministry works out the minor details. The ideas on Financial Inclusion and
insurance for the poor are similar. I doubt if any previous Independence Day
speech had so many time bound quantifiable targets.
The focus on Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship
are key to take India back to the growth cycle. The Mantra of Come, Make in
India will of course require much more action on infrastructure and regulatory
issues – but the idea is that once the goal is defined, efforts can be made to
resolve the roadblocks. This will be the biggest challenge as the retro tax
measures and the New Land Acquisition Act will require a lot of tweaking if the
Made in India tag is to become a reality.
The ideas on Skills, Digital
India and E Governance are so very critical for us to reap the benefits of our
demographic dividend. All this was like the things that we always talked about
with friends becoming the priorities of the Government. I am happy to be part
of this change. Am willing to do my bit to make India a better place. This hour
on the 15th was a true Tryst with Governance moment.
