Hearing and watching the debates in the parliament and UP State assembly over the last few days on the Budget and the address of the honorable President of India and Governor respectively it struck me that, perhaps, the most important area of discussion should have been the status of education. India is a young nation with a median age of 29 and a major proportion of the population falling in the category of youth. If equity in education is not pursued as a cherished goal then we will be doing a great disservice to the nation. The road map to make India a developed nation has to put education at the very top of its agenda. If we cannot impart quality education to our youth then we will not able to provide social justice, economic development and political empowerment to all sections of society and the aspiration of India to become a developed nation would remain a dream.

There is cause for concern about the learning outcomes of our children at the school level and even at the higher education level. The greatest worry should be about our school children who evidently do not even possess the foundational literacy and numeracy skills. The recent ASER (Annual status of Education Report) 2023 surveyed youth in the age group of 14 to 18 years in which it found that the position regarding enrollment in the age group of 14 to 18 year old is reasonably good but for the 18 year old it is 32.6 % which is definitely on the lower side and means that a large proportion would enter the working age population without high school education. It is also disturbing to note that most of the young people in this age group were enrolled in the humanities stream (55.7%) followed by STEM at 31.7%. These children in the humanities stream are likely to have issues of employment in a job environment where technology is the disruptive force. Only 5.6% of the youth are taking vocational training further hindering their job prospects.

Regarding foundational skills of these youth in the age group of 14 to 18 about 25 % cannot read a standard II level text in the regional language. Only 43.3% can do simple division and only a little over half can read sentences in English and most of them do not understand the meaning of what they are reading. The functional application of knowledge is also not of the required level. The survey strongly brings out the point that the youth is not being equipped with essential knowledge and skills. The report clearly focuses on the point that India will not be able to make full use of its demographic dividend as these young people will not be able to contribute according to their innate ability.

The above survey report regarding the youth in the 14 to 18 age group suggests that the Governments both at the centre and the states will have to take remedial teaching packages for them so that they come up to the desired level. This will call for a reorientation of teaching at the secondary school level. If this is not done then these children will not be in a position to pursue higher education without which it is not possible for India to become a knowledge economy and becoming a developed nation would remain an unfulfilled dream. It is also important that facilities for science education increase and in accordance with the national education policy 2020 (NEP) more youth opt for vocational education so that they become employable. My view is that as brought out in the NEP the youth should be encouraged to take cross functional courses and not be pursuing only humanities or science. Students of humanities need to have full exposure to computers and related courses so that they do not become victims of digital divide. In fact courses in coding and basic computer knowledge should be introduced from the class 6 level.

The aim of the NEP is that the GER (Gross Enrollment ratio) which is currently at 26.3% should be raised to 50% by 2035. This is not only a laudable goal but also essential for India’s development. However if the level of students at the secondary school level is qualitatively so poor then how will they become feeders to the higher education stream?

Incidentally, if we take the ASER report of 2022  regarding age group 6 to 14 There is an improvement in the  level of enrollment at early childhood and primary educational level but the learning outcomes leave a lot to be desired.  The worrying part as that the children’s basic knowledge of arithmetic and language is still very poor and the alarming thing is that it has declined over the 2018 level. This can be attributed to the damaging effect of the pandemic. For instance the proportion of children of class 5 who could read a class 2 level text fell from 50.5% in 2018 to 42.8% in 2022. Similarly the children in class 5 who could do simple division questions have fallen from 27.9% in 2018to 25.6% in 2022. These children require special attention in the form of summer school or extra classes. My personal experience with literacy programmes has been that there are a lot of volunteers amongst the senior school and college going boys and girls at the village level and city level who can be roped in to provide this remedial education. In fact, I have often felt that students in institutions of higher learning should be mandated to adopt primary schools to improve the learning outcome at that level.

It is clear that the quality of education being imparted at the school level do not fulfill the criteria of either equity or quality. A mission approach which does not work in silos and with specific parameter of learning outcomes to be achieved within a specified time frame is the need of the hour. The political will to do this is essential and this should be a major narrative in the manifestos of the political parties. Administrative leadership and making quality teachers available along with using modern techniques would be required to implement things at the ground level where the real problem lies. Education is the single most important factor which will push India into the take-off path to be coming a developed nation and make this century rightfully an Indian One.

“We also make policy” is exactly what it says in the cover of the book that it is an insider’s account of how the finance ministry functions. Subhash Chandra Garg had a long and varied experience of working in the finance sector. He worked as principal secretary finance in the Rajasthan Government, he was executive director with the world bank and then secretary economic affairs and secretary finance to Government of India. He definitely has the pedigree to talk about issues that the finance ministry handles and the various pulls and pressures that it is subjected to. He has gone in great detail to describe how major economic decisions were taken during his tenure. The tussle between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the finance ministry is very succinctly brought out in both its professional as well as personal aspects. Urjit Patel the then RBI Governor is depicted as zealously guarding the autonomy of RBI but this very concept of autonomy is interpreted differently by the finance ministry and RBI. Personal ego clashes add to the cauldron.

Subhash was initially in support of demonetization but subsequently felt that the initial objective of eliminating black money was not achieved. An interesting snippet seems to suggest that Mr. Arun Jaitly the then finance minister did not have an inkling about the announcement of demonetization though he later fully supported it. Subhash Garg is very much in favour of the electoral bond scheme
which he feels makes the process of donation to political parties more transparent and he is of the view the Supreme Court should not interfere with it.The matter is sub-judice before the Supreme Court and let us see how the honorable court views it.

Subhash is very candid in his appraisal of his colleagues in the finance department and does not mince words about those whose working he did not like. In dealing with issues Subhash comes out as an officer who speaks and writes what he thinks is correct even though it may be against the general thinking around and even contrary to the directions of the top which includes PMO.
The spicy part of the book is about his strained relationship with the new finance minister Nirmala Seetharaman which ultimately led to his transfer from the finance ministry and was the main cause of his seeking voluntary retirement. He had an excellent relationship with the earlier finance minister Mr. Jaitly.

Unless you are very interested in the intricacies of the working of the finance department, certain sections of the book appear to be a little to detailed and do not make easy reading. It is, however, a very welcome and useful addition to public policy literature.

I just finished reading “Dethroned-Patel, Menon and the integration of princely India” by John Zubrzyck This book gives a remarkable insight into the story of how the over five hundred princely states were integrated into India at the time of independence. One was aware of the stellar role of Sardar Patel and his secretary of the states department Mr. V.P Menon in making the states sign the instrument of accession in favour of the Indian dominion but this book reads like a thriller. The intricacies that were involved in the process are fascinating. Patel and Menon coaxed, cajoled and used subtle threats to make the princes agree to make their state a part of the Indian union. Hyderabad, Bhopal, Junagadh and some of the Rajput states were the most recalcitrant. The Nizam of Hyderabad declared himself independent and it required army intervention in the Garb of Police action to make him buckle down. The Iron will of Sardar Patel and the negotiation skills of Menon made this impossible situation a reality. Nehru also was fully involved in making the states accede to the Indian union but he was a pacifist in his approach as opposed to Sardar Patel who did not shirk from twisting the arms of the princes who were acting difficult. The book brings out that contrary to the claims this process of accession and so called Police action was anything but bloodless.

The author does show Lord Mountbatten in a favourable light with which I personally do not agree but I guess western authors have this predilection. The book shows that the Kashmir issue was taken out of the purview of the state department. Incidentally, about article 370 it says that initially all members of the Congress working committee barring two were opposed to it. However, Nehru who was abroad made an emotional plea to Sardar Patel who then used his stature to make all members of CWC agree to article 370.
The book also has very interesting and amusing anecdotes about the eccentricities and peccadilloes of the princes. The remarkable fact is that despite the extravagance of the princes and their addiction to a hedonistic life of some of them they were very much respected by their subjects.

The book is an interesting read for all those who are interested in the contemporary history of India in particular to the momentous events of India getting its independence. For those interested in this subject I would suggest they read the biography of V.P Menon and also the book on reorganization of states written by Menon. I read these books sometime ago and they are the source material for “Dethroned”. Incidentally, for those who may not know V.P Menon was not an ICS officer but started his career as a stenographer in the home department.

Indian independence

Sardar Patel

V.P. Menon

Integration of princely states

Indian Union

One felt very comfortable reading Naresh Nandan Prasad’s autobiography as the terrain traversed by him was very familiar to me as he was my colleague in the Uttar Pradesh cadre of I.A.S. Naresh served in U.P. , Uttaranchal, Government of India and in International organizations. Naturally he has a very rich and absorbing tapestry of experiences to share which makes the book a very interesting read. Naresh comes out from the pages of the book as anything but a small cog in a large wheel. In different postings he left his indelible mark by his initiative, creativity and positivity.

The book starts from his training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie where he had a great time just like most of us. I can fully connect myself with his sentiments when he says that the days spent at Mussoorie are the best days in life. Endearing and enduring friendships are built and there is an immense sense of contentment and joy. Of course, for Naresh the memories would be sweeter as he met his life partner Anjali at the academy.

The remarkable thing about Naresh is that he took every posting in a positive light even if he had experienced initial disappointment. He made the most out of every chair he occupied confirming the belief that it is the officer and not the assignment that matters. There is immense potential in every job that one gets in the I.A.S to serve the people and bring about transformative changes. I was particularly impressed by the courage shown by him in getting the Etawah elections countermanded on grounds of unfair electoral practices even though the Chief Minister of the state was contesting from there. It is all the more significant considering that he was in the secretariat of the same chief minister before being posted as D.M. His integrity drew a grudging statement of praise even from a difficult person like Mr. T.N Seshan the Chief election commissioner. The more remarkable thing is that the chief minister concerned did not carry any animosity towards him.

More than the brilliant work he did as vice chairman Kanpur Development Authority it was his successful crusade against corruption in the authority which is worth appreciating. His creative side is evidenced in full bloom in the work that he did as principal secretary Tourism, Government of Uttaranchal. He made a mark in his Government of India assignments also and then spent more than a decade at an international organization at Geneva. The organizational politics that he experienced at Geneva makes interesting reading and only goes to show that human beings are the same everywhere. Naresh had more than his fair share of jealous bosses and colleagues during his career.

Civil servants particularly I.A.S officers would love reading this book. The style and flow of the narrative should attract other readers also especially those interested in leadership and public policy.
It is sad that Naresh is no more with us. His life story as sketched out in the book will remain with the reader for a long time.

Civil servants in general and IAS and IPS officers in particular would welcome the decision of the Honorable Supreme court in the SLP filed by the State of Uttar Pradesh on the matter of personal appearance of officers being desired by the honorable courts in contempt matters or to assist the court. The specific cause of action were two orders of the division bench of the High court of judicature at Allahabad relating to the exercise of criminal contempt jurisdiction and the practice of frequent summoning of Government officials to court. It had transpired that in the matter relating to post retirement benefits to honorable Chief Justice and Judges of High Court, the high court had issued certain directions and finance department of UP Government had not complied with them and had instead questioned them. The high court had directed that officials of finance department present in the court be taken into custody and had issued bailable warrants to ensure presence of the Chief Secretary and the additional Chief Secretary in the court on the next day. The honorable Supreme Court said that the invocation of criminal contempt and taking the Government official into custody was not warranted. It concluded that the conduct of the high court in frequently summoning officers to exert pressure on the Government under threat of contempt is impermissible.

The honorable Supreme Court also framed SOP’s on personal appearance of Government officials in Court proceedings. It was of the view that in most cases instead of calling the officers the issue could be addressed through affidavits and other documents. Only if it is felt that specific information required by the Court is being deliberately withheld by the concerned officer then there is cause for calling for the personal appearance of the officer concerned. It has been my experience that going to the Court when summoned often leads to spending the entire day in travelling and in the process. The Supreme Court has said that as the first option the Court should allow the officer to appear before it through video conferencing. This would definitely save a lot of valuable time. The Court further said that as far as possible a specific times lot should be kept for addressing matters where the personal appearance of an officer is mandated. It also said that the Government officials participating in the proceedings need not stand throughout the hearing. These are also very welcome directions as often officers have to wait the entire day for the case to be heard and most often they are not even provided a chair to sit on. In a lighter vein I recall that a senior officer of the secondary education department of UP was called by the Court so often that he actually set up a table and chair near the Court and disposed of  official work as he would have to wait for his case to be heard for the best part of the day.

Recently there have been instances when officers have faced comments by the Court on their dress or demeanor. This has been most unfortunate and has demoralized the senior officers. Supreme Court has viewed this tendency with concern and said that during the course of the proceedings no oral remarks with the intention of humiliating the officials will be passed. The Supreme Court has further added that the courts shall refrain from making comments on the physical appearance, educational background or social standing of the official appearing before it. It advised the court to cultivate an environment of respect and professionalism. The officers and the members of the judiciary are respected representatives of the executive and the judicial arm of a democratic Government respectively and I feel it is essential that there is mutual respect between them. I personally remember the numerous occasions when I had to travel from Lucknow to Allahabad to be physically present in the court and this often amounted to a loss of more than one day. Further had it not been for the consideration shown by a very amiable joint registrar protocol of the High Court one would have had to spend the entire day standing inside or just outside the Court.

The orders of the Court must be complied with and for this the senior officers of the Government should be held accountable. Very often non compliance or not taking action on time is a result of negligence of the junior officers of the department concerned. I used to handle this by having a register of all Court orders maintained in my office even when I was Chief Secretary and one official was specifically made responsible for monitoring time bound action. I used to personally review this register once every fortnight. This kind of a practice should be followed by all senior officers. Sometimes I discovered that there used to be collusion between the person who had got the orders from the Court and the lower level officers in the secretariat. The officers would not put up the matter before their seniors deliberately for obvious reasons and wait for notice of contempt from the court. The idea being that the moment a contempt notice comes the officers concerned hurriedly try to comply and no time is left for serious examination of the order and consider making a review application or going in appeal. The answer to this lies once again in very detailed monitoring by the senior officers and fixing responsibility on the junior officers if they have deliberately avoided putting up the matter for necessary action.

It is also true, as the honorable Supreme Court has observed, that there is a process involved at the Government level in complying with Court orders. Wherever there is a financial involvement the concurrence of the finance department is essential and often higher orders up to the level of the Chief Minister have to be taken. The courts must give reasonable time for compliance of their orders. Also, as the honorable Supreme Court has pointed out the Court should not take it adversely if the officer comes back to the courts with the request for review or modification of order. The point that should be understood is that hardly any officer would willfully disobey the orders of the court. The Supreme Court has put this in perspective by observing that the concerned court should evaluate instances of non compliance taking into account to procedural delays or technical reasons. It should give appropriate extension if required to facilitate compliance.

These SOP’s issued by the Supreme Court will go a long way in allowing the officers to carry out their work with integrity and without any sense of undue fear. The officers must also show respect to the court orders and monitor them personally. A relationship of mutual respect between senior executive officers of the Government and the judiciary will certainly make for more effective Governance .

Dust seems to have settled on the furious debate that was triggered by the statement of Sri Narayan Murthy that the Indian youth needs to put in seventy hours of work every day if India is to realise its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. The intent behind what Mr. Murthy said is quite clear and I agree with his thought process. Nothing in life is achieved without persistent and dedicated hard work and if India is to keep its date with destiny then its leaders, managers and officers have to put in a lot of effort.

Many leaders from the corporate world came out vociferously in support of the statement made by Mr. Murthy. On the other side of the spectrum a lot of young managers were critical of this comment as they felt that this kind of a work schedule will not leave any time to do anything else and completely destroy the work life balance. Incidentally, I was addressing students at a reputed management institute and I deliberately raised this issue about the statement of Mr. Murthy. I was surprised to find that the students were almost in unanimous agreement that seventy hours of work every week is neither possible nor desirable. They felt that this would seriously undermine the concept of work life balance and lead to early burnout and disruption of family life and even lead to physical and mental health issues. On the other hand I had a discussion with some senior level corporate managers who not only strongly agreed with Mr. Murthy but also were very critical of the younger generation’s attitude towards work.

I feel the statement has not been appreciated in its proper context. Seventy Hours was just a number indicating that a lot of hard work has to be put in by the youth. It does not in any way say that one has to ignore one’s responsibility to the family or health or any other aspect of life. It is simply talking about having a commitment to one’s work and emphasizing a truism that there is no substitute for hard work if an individual or a nation has to progress at a rapid pace. It is true that average working hours per week in the western nations is lesser than that prevailing in India. In fact a country like France works 35 Hours a week whereas the corresponding figure for India is about 48-49 Hours. It is thus true that Indians are working harder than their western counter parts. However, it is also a fact that the productivity of the Indian work force is much less and also that we are, as a nation, at a different level of economic development. The managers in developed countries assign great value to leisure whereas India has not reached the stage where it can factor leisure as a necessary part of life.

Having established the significance of putting in hard work I must point out that it is important not only to work hard but to work smart. If the time is not managed properly and the work is not efficiently organized then any number of hours will not lead to better results. The idea is to get the maximum out of the effort made because this is the only way to enhance productivity which is the essence of the problem facing India today. This requires a culture of developing leaders and not only managers. Of course, efficient management of human, financial and technological resources to achieve the desire goals is necessary but the current disruptive environment requires all our corporate managers and civil servants to perform at a different level and with a far greater degree of dynamism and responsiveness. They must inculcate the qualities of leaders. A leader must have a vision for the organization or his department and have the capacity to align all members of his team with the goal. She should have the ability to motivate and inspire her team members to a higher level of performance. A culture of prompt decision making is the need of the hour and the capacity to translate vision into reality. All this is possible only if the leader possesses excellent communication skills and has positive problem solving approach. The leader must be willing to take initiative to drive new ideas and encourage creativity in her team members. The leader today must not only be aware of the rapid technological changes taking place around her but also be able to understand them and harness them for the benefit of her organization. The leader to be more productive must realise that it is people who should use technology and the fact that people skills are of paramount importance for the leader to be able to promise a better future for all. This requires the human resource in the organization to be motivated and happy.

Happy employees are always more productive and this is where it is necessary to see an employee not merely as a human resource but in a holistic manner as a human being. Qualities of emotional intelligence and, in particular, those of empathy and compassion are required to make each member of the team feel valued and given the self belief to perform at his best. This means that the issue of work life balance needs to be addressed in a positive manner because a human being can not be made to perform like a machine. There is a trend in many organizations to put excessive pressure on the managers by setting impossible deadlines and creating a toxic work culture. This leads to mental health issues due to stress and anxiety and eventual burn out which is detrimental not only for the manager but also for the organization. Besides, an organization must give time and space for a manager to grow by developing his innate strengths and learning new things. The time must be given to sharpen the saw for better results. Moreover, creativity requires a manager to be away from the constant pressure of daily work and think freely. This is possible only if the work environment is conducive to development of new ideas and the manager also is feeling inner peace and harmony to be able to think creatively.

The question, then, is not about the number of hours of work put in but the results that you get out of the work. Greater and better results are possible if the work culture is participative, creative and non-hierarchical. India has a young work force and it must reap the demographic dividend if it has to join the group of developed nations. It must get the best performance out of its youth. This is possible only if the work culture is congenial and work force enthused about its work. We need a happy work environment to make the work force more productive and propel the organizations and the country to a faster and higher track of growth.

There is a need for strategic use of consultants; the government needs to recognize and leverage its internal strengths while ensuring consultants contribute meaningfully to governance

I read an article in a newspaper recently which gave the surprising information that the central government through its various departments like power, petroleum and 16 other ministries departments along with NITI Aayog have outsourced various important projects and assignments which involve almost every aspect of governance to the big four consultants and Mckinsey & Co and company. The big four consultants involved are PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Deloitte, Ernst & Young Global Limited and KPMG International Limited. Almost Rs 500 Crore worth of consultancy assignments from various government ministries, departments and organizations have been awarded to these consultancy companies between April 2017 and June 2022. This is indeed a staggering amount and one wonders whether consultants are slowly beginning to control a large portion of the functioning of the Government.

In India, the annual turnover of consulting firms increased by 10.8 per cent annually on average from 2013-2018. The Budget allocation for professional services at the NITI Aayog increased nearly five-fold between 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 and subsequently rose by 30 per cent in 2018-2019. In fact, my experience after observing the working with the Government of India is that most senior civil servants are enamoured of consultants and treat them as a panacea for all problems. The State Governments were relatively immune to this phenomenon till a few years ago but slowly they are also looking towards consultants for all kinds of assignments. The consultants have an important role to play but the Government should be clear on where to use them and how. The consultants have very talented manpower recruited from some of the best educational institutions and they promise to bring in new ideas, quantitative rigour, risk analysis, best practices and efficient management practices into any assignment that they take up. Ground level Government officers do not feel that the consultants have superior domain knowledge and wryly comment that consultants take ideas from them and then re-package and present them through impressive multimedia presentations or slick spiral-bound reports replete with bar diagrams, pie charts and other attractive tabular or graphic representations.

Government is a very complex organization and has to fulfil a multiplicity of objectives as against the profit maximization goal of the corporate sector. Despite the enormous talent that these consultancy organizations have they do not have the required knowledge and breadth of vision to handle the various assignments that are given to them by the Government. I was intensely surprised to find that even for the organization of Mahakumbh a few years ago by the UP Government, one of these consultants was handling a large number of tasks. Organizing a Mahakumbh is a highly complicated task and one wonders what value an inexperienced consultancy organization would add to it. I found the consultant organizing media briefings when this task has always been performed very comfortably by the information department. Further, one of these consultants is now advising the Government of UP on achieving a trillion-dollar economy by 2027 when it is apparent to all that this is an impossible goal because it requires a 34 per cent annual growth rate! In most departments in UP, the consultants have been appointed and they are carrying out routine tasks. I was amazed to find that they were undertaking clerical jobs like putting up draft replies to letters. I feel in this manner not only is the Government mis-utilizing the consultants but the consultants are also wasting their time and resources and not adding any value.

Government cannot work alone and private participation is required to make governance more efficient. We have seen how the public-private partnership (PPP) models have brought in private-sector investment and expertise in the planning and implementation of infrastructure projects. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) is also a popular type of contract which has been successfully used in building infrastructure in UP and I saw the efficacy of this partnership with the private sector in the construction of the Lucknow Agra Expressway. Over time, it has been realized that Governments can deliver better by involving the private sector in areas where the private sector has expertise. Similarly, the consultants bring to the table a lot of useful input but we should be clear on what kind of a relationship would exist between the Government and the consultants. We do not want the consultants to take over the routine tasks carried out by Government officers. In fact, the reality is that the Government has a lot of knowledge about its work and its officers and employees have a lot of collective competence, skill sets and resources. These must be respected as the reliance on outside consultants tends to erode the institutional memory.

For the corporate sector, the consultants can give strategic inputs to take the organization to the next level but the issues for the Governments are different and cannot be looked at through the same prism as the private sector. It is also true that the civil servants involved in Governance have a long experience which cannot easily be replaced. The fee paid to the consultants would need to be justified through results and better outcomes. My experience has been that the consultant does offer various solutions but is not involved to that extent in the implementation which means that results are not forthcoming and the consultants do not feel themselves accountable for the same. The easiest thing in the world is to offer advice on what needs to be done but in practice, the realities are far too complex and there could be genuine issues which make the advice impractical. In addition, there is also the fact that the consultants do not have any democratic accountability which is the essence of good Governance.

I found that very often senior officers of Government resort to hiring consultants in order to make their recommendations acceptable by giving them the tag of an expert. It is also true that Government departments are overburdened and are not able to analyse the data and this job can be entrusted to consultants. There is no doubt that consultants can bring to the table rich experience from other countries which cannot be adopted in full measure but does indicate the direction in which one can think and move forward.

The Governments must become conscious of their inner strengths and focus on capacity building of their officers and employees. They must make sure that they reap the benefits of the experience of their human resource. Consultants should be hired for specific assignments where there is a gap in Government and also in areas where the consultant can bring in knowledge from outside to improve the effectiveness of Government work. The Government must know what they want from the consultant and also can monitor and guide their work. The consultants should be used in a manner that adds value to Governance.

Casualties in a land dispute in UP’s Deoria district remind that the huge pendency of such cases should be resolved swiftly by police and local revenue officials

Very recently, there was a major incident in the Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh where several people lost their lives due to a dispute over land. My experience as an administrator in UP has been that land disputes, particularly in rural areas, are a major cause for violence between groups and individuals, and most of the offences to the human body are related to this. Effective governance of land-related matters can bring down the crime rate substantially, and ensure maintenance of public peace and order.

The land in rural areas is administered by the revenue department, with the Patwari (Lekhpal) at the village level, Tehsildar at the Tehsil level, and the sub-divisional officer and district collector at the sub division and district levels, respectively. It is the responsibility of the collector, through his revenue officers, to maintain a proper record of land ownership and possession. This work used to be of the highest importance in the past when land revenue was the major source of revenue for the government. Today, the contribution of land revenue to the resources of a state is negligible, as income tax, GST and other sources have taken over. Yet, the function of maintaining proper land records is of the greatest importance, as it determines the ownership of agricultural land. The Patwari wields a lot of power at the village level because he is the custodian of the land records and, with one stroke of his pen, can change the entries in the land records, or omit to record a legitimate entry, which can change the lives of the people concerned. The UP Government changed the name of this functionary from Patwari to Lekhpal but this has not diminished the power of this authority. Even today, at the village level, the citizens are in great awe of two Government functionaries — the Patwari and the station officer of the local police station, popularly known as Daroga. In the past, correction and inspection of land records were among the most important functions of the district collector and his team. I recall that as a district collector, I used to carry out inspections of villages, and during these inspections, I would sit under a tree surrounded by the village folk and read out the entries from the land records to verify them. Inevitably, I used to find that even in the cases where a land owner had died, the name of his successor had not been entered in the records; one had to do so on the spot. However, if there were other nature of disputes, then it had to be referred to the competent revenue court for decision. Since land offers livelihood to farmers, this is the cause for a lot of corruption amongst revenue officials at the ground level.

A measure to curb this corruption has come through the intervention of technology in the form of computerisation of land records. Today, all land records are maintained online, and it is very easy to obtain a copy of the same from the computer installed at Tehsil. This has considerably reduced the power of the Patwari. I remember implementing computerisation of land records at the district level, and facing a lot of opposition from the Patwaris and other revenue officials. In fact, I remember taking a decision to distribute the copies of land records to each land holder in the district, so that he is aware of his rights. However, this got into a lot of procedural and legal issues.

Most land-related matters, including mutation of name, demarcation of land, or issues relating to title come up before the revenue courts where there is huge pendency of cases, and the disputes or issues linger on for years without resolution — more often than not leading to crime and violence. After the Deoria incident, when the UP Government reviewed the pendency of cases in the state, it found that 18.4 lakh cases were pending in revenue courts. 2.5 lakh of these were pending for more than five years, 2.6 lakh for more than three years, and 3.1 lakh between 1 and 3 years. A drive has been launched for the disposal of these cases, but such efforts have been made in the past as well. They yield results for a short while, and then it’s back to square one. Today, the land revenue courts have also been computerised, making it possible to dispose of matters faster. However, the concerned officers devote less time to court work, and lawyers also frequently request adjournments, leading to persistent delays. In fact, revenue officers often have a significant workload, including law and order, protocol duties, civil supplies, and development work, which they find more satisfying and glamorous than court work. Consequently, officers tend to give the lowest priority to their judicial work. I believe the only way out is to increase the number of revenue officers in a district and designate some of them exclusively for court work. This is necessary to protect the common citizen at the village level from exploitation and to minimise incidents of violence and murder, as occurred in Deoria.

My experience as district collector revealed that small land-related disputes at the village level, if left unresolved, can escalate into major conflicts and enmities between families, leading to serious law and order problems. During my tenure as the chief secretary of UP, I devised a system for resolving these land disputes by making it the joint responsibility of local revenue and police officials. Every day, numerous applications are submitted at the Thana, Tehsil, and collectorate regarding land disputes. Most of these disputes can be resolved if officers visit the villages, sit down with both parties, and find a solution. Some disputes may require the intervention of the local Patwari and police officers, while those of a more serious nature can be escalated to the level of the concerned sub-divisional officers. Major issues may even require the district collector and the superintendent of police to visit the village together. All these disputes should be entered into the computer system and monitored rigorously, with accountability clearly defined. I found that this approach had a salutary effect, preventing many serious crimes and law and order issues. To avoid situations like Deoria, this system needs to be made mandatory.

Quick disposal of revenue cases and resolution of land-related disputes at the village level jointly by revenue and police officers will lead to effective governance and reduction in crime and other incidents related to disturbance of public order. Deoria-like situations should not be allowed to take place again.

While the adoption of the Women’s Reservation Bill can lead to greater inclusion of women in the development process, the inordinate delay in its implementation raises concerns

Three path-breaking events have made India proud in the last two months. The landing on the south pole of the moon demonstrated the scientific and technological power of the country. It was followed by a successful G-20 conference which showcased to the world the culture, ethos and values of the Indian civilisation and projected India as a leader of the global south. The third was the immensely significant adoption of the Women’s Reservation Bill in our parliament with the support of all political parties. This bill heralds the beginning of a new era of gender equality with its political, economic and social implications.

The Women’s Reservation Bill proposes to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. Currently, the representation of women is only about 14 per cent. Raising this to 33 per cent would make the Indian political scene more inclusive and diverse, besides empowering the women. As many as 64 countries around the world have some reservation for women in their parliament. In India, several governments in the past thirty years had attempted to reserve seats for women in the parliament but due to lack of majority and also differences of opinion they could not do so. It is heartening that though the opposition parties have suggested modifications to the bill, they have supported it.

The major objection is that the reservation bill does not have a separate reservation for women from the backward castes and minorities. There is already a provision for reservation for women from scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The reasoning is that if the women from backward castes are not given representation, then they will not be able to take advantage of the 33 per cent reservation for women, which could be dominated by the socially and economically better off sections of society. This apprehension is not misplaced, and merits serious consideration if the Women’s Reservation Bill is to fully meet its goal of upliftment of women across all sections of society. There are issues in doing this but if the will is there, then this is very much possible.

The second objection is regarding the time frame of implementation, which is abnormally long and linked to the delimitation of constituencies, which itself is dependent on the census. For one reason or the other, the census operations which were scheduled for 2021 have got delayed, and with the elections round the corner, the census operations are not likely to be completed before 2025. This means that the delimitation exercise is not likely to be done before 2026. If everything goes well and according to schedule, then the Women’s Reservation Bill can be implemented earliest before the 2029 general elections. However, the reason for linking women’s reservation with delimitation is not clear, and also makes one skeptical about the actual implementation because delimitation will be extremely difficult to implement. The delimitation exercise is based on population figures, and the southern states are already raising their voice against it. They feel that they would be penalised by reduced representation because of the positive work that they have done in reducing the population rate of growth. They have a genuine cause for concern, and it is for this reason that the delimitation exercise had been put on hold twice in the past. Many leading women thinkers and organisations have also expressed their apprehensions, saying this may cause indefinite delay in the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill. Some have even gone to the extent of doubting the intention behind this linkage. I feel that the issue of women’s reservation should not be allowed to remain pending indefinitely, and it should not be made contingent upon the delimitation exercise.

In any case, the upcoming General Elections of 2024 are a litmus test for the commitment of political parties to this very important reform. Nothing stops them from putting up women candidates in the election fray. If not 33 per cent, then at least 20 per cent or more women candidates should be put up by all political parties to declare their intent and commitment to the cause. So far the record of political parties in this regard has not been very edifying. The exceptions are the BJD in Odisha and the TMC in West Bengal. Moreover, to prepare women for their political role, at least 33 per cent of the posts in the party organisations can be given to women.

More than 30 years ago, 33 per cent reservation was provided for women in the local bodies. I remember that initially the women used to be proxy candidates, with their husband doing all the work and exercising all the powers. In fact, I used to be amused when, during my stint in the districts as DM, I would get visiting cards of men calling themselves as ‘Pradhan Patis’ (Husband of the Pradhan). Many People wondered at that time whether the reservation would make any difference to the status of women, considering the social realities of rural India. However, over the years, I noticed a big change, and now Pradhans have become pro-active and full of self-confidence. They are performing their roles as well as their male counterparts, if not better. It has also been found that the women Pradhans have focused much more on the relevant issues of health, education and nutrition. This only goes on to show that once women get their due in the parliament and state assemblies, they will contribute in a big way to social and economic development of the country. The 64 countries around the world where there is reservation for women in the parliament have shown that women in leadership positions have positively impacted the delivery of public policy and improved the quality of life of the communities.

It must be pointed out that women’s reservation in the parliament is not the panacea for all the issues faced by women. At the moment, more and more women are going for higher education, but even now they comprise 40 per cent of the country’s graduate population and about 30 per cent of total post graduates. The level of illiteracy in women is much higher than men. This indicates that a lot of work needs to be done to make women literate and enable them to access higher education. Without doing this, it would be difficult for women, particularly from rural areas, to participate effectively in the governance of the country.

More than half of the women in the country are homemakers presently, and even amongst those who are working, the earning is much higher than that of women. In addition, the level of participation of women in the labour force is only about 25 per cent, much less than that of men. Enabling social and economic environments is required to increase the labor force participation of women, which has a direct impact on the rate of growth of the economy.

The Women’s Reservation Bill is an idea whose time has come, and there should be no conditions imposed that delay this idea becoming a reality. It is a commitment to empower women. However, to genuinely bring about women-led sustainable and inclusive development, much more work needs to be done at the ground level to improve their social and economic statuses. A major step in the right direction has been taken but it should be implemented fast, and to make it a transformative experience, all aspects of development of women should be prioritised in policymaking. There has to be a genuine commitment to make women equal partners in the process of development.

The Indian government should maintain an unwavering focus on holistic development of the citizens to ensure that India becomes a developed nation by 2047

India is on the track to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2028, surpassing both Japan and Germany. This is indeed a noteworthy achievement and will considerably enhance India’s standing in the eyes of the world. The story of reforms, initiated in 1991, is responsible for giving this growth momentum to the Indian economy. Today, India’s GDP stands at USD 3.7 trillion, while Germany’s is at USD 4.3 trillion, and Japan’s is at USD 4.4 trillion. We are still far behind the USA at USD 26.9 trillion and China at USD 19.4 trillion. However, the encouraging news is that the Indian economy has maintained a steady rate of growth over the last 20 years. It took India from 1947 to 2007 to surpass the USD 1 trillion GDP milestone. Impressively, India accelerated from USD 1 trillion to USD 2 trillion within just seven years after 2007. In fact, when considering GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP), India already ranks as the world’s third-largest economy, with a GDP of USD 13 trillion, following the USA at USD 26.9 trillion and China at USD 33 trillion. India’s PPP ratio is 3.5, while China’s stands at 1.7.

Angus Maddison, in his remarkable book ‘Contours of the World Economy 1-2030 AD – Essays in Macroeconomic History,’ has said that in the year 1 AD, India’s GDP represented 32 per cent of the world’s GDP. This figure declined to 28.1 per cent by 1000 AD and further decreased to 24.4 per cent in 1700 AD, plummeting significantly to a mere 4.2 per cent in 1950. India’s population in 1 AD accounted for 33.3 per cent of the world population. Between 1 AD and 1000 AD, India’s GDP stagnated at USD 33.75 billion, with a steady population of 75 million. However, from 1000 AD to 1700 AD, India’s population surged to 165 million, and the GDP tripled to USD 90.7 billion. By 1950, the GDP had risen to USD 227.22 billion, accompanied by a population increase to 359 million. Despite the growth in GDP and population during this period, India’s overall share in the world economy experienced a drastic decline. This was because we missed the industrial revolution as colonial masters harnessed India’s resources to fuel their economic growth. The population increase became particularly significant after 1921 which is known as the year of great divide as the discovery of antibiotics brought down the death rates considerably.

According to a recent projection by the IMF and Goldman Sachs, if the current momentum continues, India’s GDP in 2075 is estimated to reach USD 52.5 trillion. This would surpass the projected GDP of the USA in 2075, which is estimated at USD 51.5 trillion. China is expected to be marginally ahead at USD 57 trillion. Meanwhile, countries like the UK, Japan, and Germany would lag far behind, with GDPs of USD 7.6 trillion, USD 7.5 trillion, and USD 8.1 trillion, respectively. This data unequivocally suggests that the 21st century is poised to be the Indian century. India would once again contribute a major share to the world economy just like it used to do centuries ago. Of course, this would mean that the Indian economy continues at its current growth rate. For this to happen we need constant reforms and take the right policy decisions which would stimulate the economy, otherwise, there is always a danger of falling into a middle-income trap.

The above scenario is indeed a cause for jubilation. However, before we rush to celebrate, we must take a closer look at the other side of the coin. India’s per capita income today stands at USD 2,601, or USD 9,073 in terms of PPP. This places India among the world’s lowest, with a global ranking of 128th in terms of per capita income. This fact should be a cause for concern and should humble us, making us realise that we need to grow at a much faster rate if we intend to provide our citizens with a quality of life comparable to that offered by middle-income countries. It is indeed chastening to note that the per capita income of the USA is approximately USD 80,000, China’s is USD 13.72 thousand, Germany’s is USD 51.38 thousand, the United Kingdom’s is USD 46.31 thousand, and Japan’s is USD 35.39 thousand.

It is now being recognised by all that GDP, by itself, is the most imperfect measure of economic development, as it conceals more than it reveals. Maximising growth alone does not necessarily enhance human well-being. As Robert Kennedy famously said, GDP does not measure anything that makes life worthwhile. Per capita income gives a far better appreciation of the level of economic development, and when we consider this factor, it becomes evident that India has a long way to go.

The country must focus on holistic development of its citizens. To achieve this, indicators such as HDI (Human Development Indicator) and GNH (Gross National Happiness) hold more relevance in assessing the quality of life for the people. Incidentally, India ranks at the bottom of the list in both these indicators globally. While we may be tempted to become defensive and question the methodology and motives behind these rankings, we cannot ignore the reality. These indicators include measures of health, education, nutrition and others, and there is no escaping the fact that we perform poorly in these attributes as compared to other countries.

The fortunate aspect is that we possess a large youth population which, if properly harnessed, will yield significant demographic dividends. However, we must also be concerned because the flip side is that this advantage can potentially turn into a disaster. To avert such a situation, we need to provide our youth with gainful employment where their full potential is realised, and they make substantial contributions to boosting productivity in the economy. Unfortunately, India’s growth story over the last decade or so has been characterised by jobless growth, and this trend requires immediate reversal. Generation of employment has to occupy the pole position in our priorities. The youth must be made ready for jobs by providing them a high quality of education, skill development and proper healthcare. Our transformation to a developed economy is only possible if we develop and utilise our human resource potential to the maximum extent.

India is still an agriculture-dominated economy and this sector also requires the highest attention of our policy planners. If the farmer is not economically empowered, then the economy will not be able to move to a path of high sustainable development. Furthermore, the MSME sector needs a lot of hand holding if it has to grow and provide employment. Physical infrastructure like roads and power should continue to provide the launching pad for a high trajectory of growth. Women must become equal partners in the process of growth.

While we have attained the status of the fifth-largest economy, we must take a series of urgent steps in the aforementioned areas if we aim to fulfil our vision of becoming a developed economy by 2047. The government and its policy planners must maintain an unwavering focus on the holistic development of the country’s citizens, ensuring they enjoy a high quality of life and well-being.