Protecting the honest

February 15, 2022

The order was cryptic but clear. It came from the Minister. This was 2003. I had just taken over as Secretary, Department of Horticulture in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) after having completed my deputation with the Central Government. The State had undergone a massive transformation during the last...

Civil Servants: Preparing For Afterlife

February 8, 2022

The call was from a fellow retired civil servant. He was upset at the current crop of officers not returning his calls or responding to his messages. I shared with him my personal experience that, unlike many such retired officers, was totally different. Almost every officer who I had worked...

MAKING IT HAPPEN: ATTRACTING INVESTMENTS

January 31, 2022

In the article, “Making it Happen: Did Make-in -India Happen?” published last week, I had concluded whether the strategy adopted under “Make in India” worked in the context of the objectives that were outlined under this initiative. The clear answer was “no”. Then what is the possible way forward. We...

Making it happen: Did ‘Make in India’ happen?

January 26, 2022

With a view to attracting international investment, while making his speech during the World Economic Forum recently, PM Modi announced that this was the “best time to invest in India”. In the aforementioned context, I had tweeted: “Best way to attract international investment into India is not merely by saying...

Nexus of Good: Ubuntu Consortium

January 18, 2022

‘I am, because you are’ refers to UBUNTU, a popular African philosophy which places emphasis on being self through others. This philosophy inspired a group of women entrepreneurs to lay the foundation for ‘Ubuntu Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs’, a consortium of Women Entrepreneur associations pan India. It is a non-government...

Making it Happen

January 12, 2022

prevailing opinion across our country is that “Sarkar toh kuch nahi karti” (the government does nothing). More than seven decades of independence later, as a country we still mistrust the government and expect very little to nothing from the “system”. While there are valid reasons for this disillusionment, this general...

ETHICS IN BUREAUCRACY: IT PAYS TO BE ETHICAL

January 4, 2022

Ethics is defined as a set of “moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity”. Ethics or ethical behaviour pertains to certain socially acceptable conduct that may not have been codified formally into a law or a rule, violation of which could lead to formal...

All is Well?

December 28, 2021

During current times, it takes a lot of courage to speak one’s mind. The polity is divided as never before. It is also very difficult to convince those around you that one can like and appreciate some, and dislike and criticize other actions/policies of the same government. It is even...

Can it be managed?

December 21, 2021

A close look at the Farm Legislations will reveal that they were indeed beneficial to the farmer. Yet there was a sustained agitation against these Acts. Why? As against the above, oil and gas prices have shot through the roof. Petrol has breached Rs 100 in the entire country. Yet,...

Bureaucratic hues…take you pick

December 14, 2021

“Yes Minister” was a big hit in England and when it was first shown in India in its original version and subsequently in its “desi” adaptation, it was received very well by the audiences in India as well. Both the original and the “desi” versions were hilarious as they portrayed...