Smt Sitharamanji : You are totally Right

 

 

Context :

Transparency biggest asset of Modi Govt: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman  .. ET … 24 Feb 2024

 

Extract :

 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday that transparency has been the biggest asset of the Modi government, and corruption was cleared because of technology adaptation.

We scaled up the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and India's DPI and the 'India Stack,' is an envy of the world. That’s what 'Minimum Government and Maximum Governance means," she said, adding that the governance model of Prime Minister Modi can be studied by management students.

Speaking at the inauguration of BITS Pilani's Mumbai Campus in Kalyan, Maharashtra, Sitharaman observed that Systems Thinking and User Feedback and Grievance Redressal were the second and third pillar that were able to produce the outcome in a transparent fashion without working in silos.

"The third pillar is User Feedback and Grievance Redressal. At every level, inputs are taken from citizens who are beneficiaries of a scheme," she said adding that this has given a voice to the citizens directly and the department concerned takes action on it. "Therefore the grievance doesn't wait and get accumulated," she noted.

Sitharaman said that the fourth pillar is the Output Monitoring framework (OOMF) of the NITI Aayog which brings performance-based budgeting and also track the outcome for every rupee.

"We brought in a completely digitized system between the central government and the state governments, where once money from the Centre for a scheme is delivered instantly to the state governments through a Single Nodal Agency System," she said adding that taxpayers' money doesn't remain parked and unutilised and there is 'just in time' utilization of the public money."

Sitharaman said that the fifth pillar is Kaizen, a powerful Japanese philosophy and management principle, which is being used to reach the last mile & ensure 'Antyodyay'.

"That is talking about the universal village electrification, universal toilet coverage, widespread banking access, and health care for all," she said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government has been actively pursuing the Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications (MRA) framework with various countries so that they are able to take Indian students through an memorandum of understanding (MoU).

"We have signed several bilateral MoUs and agreements with countries including France, Australia and UAE in recent past and many others countries are under negotiation process," she said.

The finance minister noted that since 2014, a new IIT/IIM is opened every year, every week a new university is built, every third day one Atal Tinkering lab is opened, every second day a new college is being constructed, every day a new ITI is getting formed.

"That's the extent to which India's education is being facilitated by the government. We're ensuring that budgetary allocations are made," she said adding 1.4 crore youth have been trained under the Skill India Mission.

My  Take :

 

Smt. Sitharamanji ,

 

Thank you – and you are totally right

 

That belief made me send following e-mail, 8 YEARS ago :

 

Ø  Transparency : The Biggest Reform ……………….. 01 May 2016

 

Extract :

 

Since assuming power 2 years ago , NDA government has carried out many reforms , having deep impact on social and economic matters ( - regrettably , hardly any reform to our parliamentary political system or in our electoral system )

 

 

I believe , THE reform that brings about other reforms , is TRANSPARENCY in the working of the government , mostly through ONLINE INTERACTION between the government departments and the citizens / businesses

 

 

Take a look at the following :

 

*    Auction of Spectrum

 

*    Auction of Coal Blocks / Oil - Gas Blocks

 

*    Auction of UMPP power projects / Solar Power Projects

 

*    Bidding / tendering for Highway Projects

 

*    Bidding for Defence Projects

 

*    Grant of Building Construction Projects

 

*    Grant of Environment Clearances

 

*    Registration of Companies / Start Ups

 

*    Launch of Mobile Apps for lodging complaints for govt services

 

*    Jan Dhan Yojana bank accounts with zero deposits

 

*    Direct Transfer of Benefits to replace subsidies to middlemen

 

*    Availing of bank loans under MUDRA / STAND UP Schemes

 

*    Online applying for Government jobs through a web portal

 

*    Enforcement of Net Neutrality through public consultation

 

*    Involving Private Sector in big way in " Skilling of India " project

 

*    FDI through automatic route in many sectors

 

*    Encouragement of E Commerce sector

 

 

 

Not being Press Bureau or Public Relations Department of the Central Government , I am bound to have left out a few other examples of such Transparency

 

 

Nor do I have a user's perspective ( either as an ordinary citizen or as a businessman who has to deal with any government department ), to know how these Policy Initiatives have got actually translated on the ground

 

 

 

With regards,

 

Hemen Parekh

 

www.HemenParekh.ai  /  26 Feb 2024

 

 

Related Readings :

 

Ø           Budgeting by objectives …………………. 05  Dec 2014

     An Unprecedented Budget Reform  .. 09  Dec 2016