Show Us the Blueprint Resurrection Is a Leap Into a Whole New Way of Thinking
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THE TIMES OF INDIA, NEW DELHI 20 COMFORTING THE AFFLICTED AFFLICTING THE COMFORTABLE FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2016 A thought for today Show Us The Blueprint Resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking DEEPAK CHOPRA For our cities to deliver growth and jobs, we need to deliver good systems for our cities Amitabh Kant ments. If cities are measured well, they Mission Mayawati will start getting managed better. Over the next three Thirdly, states need to attract top of the decades, India needs to line talent to manage and deliver on the Exodus of senior leaders dulls her dream sustain a high growth city blueprints, especially from a project trajectory of over 7% management standpoint. Our cities of staging a big comeback in UP GDP growth accompa- possess world class talent in financial nied by massive job services, information technology, he sudden departure of Mayawati’s close aide Swami Prasad creation to deliver good quality of life to infrastructure, etc but few of them work Maurya from the Bahujan Samaj Party comes as a major all citizens. Such a high economic growth towards building our cities. We need to embarrassment for the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister. rate and scale of job creation would create opportunities for our best talent to T necessarily depend on the manufacturing contribute to our cities, beginning with What has worsened the situation is that Maurya, hitherto the leader and services sectors. Global experience the cities where they live. Fellowships, of opposition in the state assembly and BSP’s second most visible especially since the industrial revolution lateral hires and short commissions for face, has accused Mayawati of auctioning tickets, describing her as has been that job creation and growth in projects, internships, etc can all work well daulat ki beti rather than Dalit ki beti. Though Mayawati was quick the manufacturing and services sectors to ensure governments and citizens work to dismiss Maurya’s allegations, he is the second senior OBC leader heavily depend on cities. together for this national cause. More after Jugal Kishore to quit the party in recent months. Senior leaders All the flagship programmes of this importantly, only these mechanisms can jumping ship months before the crucial assembly elections confirm government – including Make in India, provide government with the specialist Skill India, Digital India and the Smart skills required in the short-term in the claims that all is not well within BSP. Cities Missions – are aimed at fast field of urban management. BSP has been treading slowly but steadily on the path to resurrec- tracking economic growth, job creation Lastly, we will need to urgently fix the tion after the 2014 fiasco when it failed to win a single seat in the and delivery of good quality of life to all municipal skills and staffing problem for general election. In November last year it made a citizens. Cities will be central to the the long-term. Short tenures of municipal strong showing in the panchayat polls. In a bid successful delivery of these programmes commissioners, rolling stock of employees to extend her support base among urban and schemes. In today’s world it is not rowe on deputation from the state resulting in countries but cities that compete for lack of a coherent organisation culture, voters, Mayawati announced she would resources and investment. Chad C lack of specialised contemporary skills no longer construct parks and statues, As per Census 2011, India has close especially in respect of engineering, instead focus on governance. This seeming to 8,000 cities of which over 50 have a Indian cities have largely scored 4 or less planning, financial management and transition from aggressive identity population in excess of 10 lakh. Put on a scale of 0 to 10 compared to 9+ by revenue optimisation and human resour- politics to more development-centric together our cities are estimated to have a London and New York. CMs need to draw up city ce management, asymmetry in span of issues is a welcome step. population of over 400 million which is What needs to be done by the Centre blueprints with the vision control with less than 5% of the employees expected to touch 800 million by 2050, and states under each of the above in Grades A and B, large number of staff But while Mayawati enjoys the reputa- making India 50% urban from today’s 30%. city-systems is critical. But the “how” for 20-25 years, fix clear vacancies, etc are all big challenges. tion of being an able administrator, she This mega wave of urbanisation will has received relatively lesser attention ownership for delivery These challenges have emasculated our may be banking too heavily on the assumption need to be managed well so that cities compared to the “what”. How something and publish quarterly municipalities over the past decades. that anti-incumbency will by default propel her to power again. A can attract investments and create jobs can practically get done within the Adequate number of skilled employees serious concern for BSP is that its social engineering formula of on a large scale, become hubs of growth, government is as important as what performance reports and well-managed municipalities and Dalit-Muslim-Brahmin is coming under threat from both BJP and talent, creativity and innovation and needs to be done, especially in a civic agencies are a sine qua non for good thereby vibrant habitats where millions democracy with a federal makeup. needs to be done in terms of both infrastructure and public services in SP, who are assiduously wooing upper castes and Muslims, respective- of citizens can fulfil their dreams. Firstly, our chief ministers need to infrastructure projects and governance our cities, and therefore also a ly.To maintain momentum in the face of this challenge, BSP needs Principally, there are four systems recognise cities as a priority for their reforms needs to fall within this rubric of fundamental reform agenda. We need to move on from the traditional, narrow narrative of caste to a that are key to good governance in our states. They need to draw up city blue- quantified objectives, roadmaps with qualified town planners, engineers, waste broad, popular championing of governance – loud and clear. cities: urban planning and design, muni- prints which take into account the vision milestones, ownership for delivery and management professionals, finance pro- The ruling SP will bank on chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s youth cipal finances and staffing (essentially for a city for a 20-25 year timeframe, transparent performance measurement. fessionals and others to even get started appeal and developmental works while BJP has made deteriorating capacities and resources), effective quantify sectoral objectives for a 3-5 year Secondly, we need to recognise our cities on the four city-system reform agendas. political leadership of a city and lastly time period, draw up detailed roadmaps to as distinct units of governance and econo- All of the above is within the realm of law and order as its central theme. Mayawati needs to become more transparency, accountability and citizen achieving the objectives with well-defined my. We need to start tracking the perfor- the possible. The spirit of cooperative visible and boost the morale of rank and file, just like she had done participation. Each of these four areas milestones, fix clear ownership for delive- mance of our cities in terms of GDP, job cum competitive federalism that this in 2007. The crown of Lucknow will eventually belong to the party are important reform agendas in them- ry and publish quarterly performance creation, private and public investments, government is pioneering should which has the broadest social base. BSP is at the cusp of being able to selves, and are inter-dependent. Janaag- reports to build trust among citizens. consumption, etc. Today, none of this data extend to our cities too. City-systems achieve that, but the desertion within ranks spells trouble. Maurya’s raha’s Annual Survey of India’s City- Many of our states are past the is available at a city level. It is either not and city blueprints need to find a place in exit should serve as a wake-up call for Mayawati; she must tighten System, an annual ranking of cities based tipping point of urbanisation and the tracked at all at a city level or is fragmented our national lexicon. on quality of urban governance, reveals rest are fast approaching the same. What across civic agencies and state depart- The writer is CEO, NITI Aayog ship if in 2017 BSP is not to run adrift as in 2012 and 2014. Embattled Song ‘Salman’s remark sexist ... India at flashpoint on women’s rights ... Amjad Sabri’s killing is a huge blow Bollywood’s scared – but younger guys are free thinkers’ for subcontinent’s Sufi tradition Singer, composer and songwriter have carte blanche to say and do know their place. the future that the younger lot of actors Sona Mohapatra is one of the few whatever they please. These people are These ideas were never acceptable to are mostly chivalrous gentlemen. n a huge loss for the subcontinent, famous qawwal Amjad Sabri artists working in Bollywood who raised on a pedestal – they stand for the me – i don’t have too many allies within It was also a brilliant example was shot dead in Karachi by motorcycle-borne gunmen. A faction criticised actor Salman Khan’s ‘felt most regressive, sexist values while our the business but the ones who’ve worked when Virat Kohli stood up for Anushka of the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the killing, hitting like a raped woman’ remark.