Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a very illuminating speech to IAS probationers today laid out elements of his and his party’s political philosophy with respect to the role of Government.
This speech is a good opportunity to re- tell the lesson on ideological opposites when it comes to the role of government.
Here is what a politically opposite speech would look like. We can quibble over what labels to apply here – Left or Right, Up or Down, East or West. The labels are secondary.
Original speech
I begin by once again, I do it every year, to tell you how important a contribution each one of you can make to our nation’s progress. We are a mixed economy. Private sector co-exists with the public sector. And for the management of this mixed economy we need a strong, purposeful visionary Government. We cannot wish away the role of the Government in public life of our country and therefore what type of development we will have would very much depend upon the quality of public administration in our country.
Ideological Opposite
I begin by once again, I do it every year, to tell you how important a contribution each one of you can make to our nation’s progress. We are a land of Enterprise. The hard work, innovation and enterprise of our people has blessed us with a vibrant Private sector thus reducing the need for public sector intervention in most areas. For the management of this economy rooted in enterprise we need a strong, purposeful visionary Government with the least of controls . We cannot wish away the role of the Government in public life of our country but merely to protect the vibrancy of our people’s enterprise and to further that spirit. Therefore how that Spirit of Enterprise flourishes would very much depend upon the quality of Governance in our country.
Original speech
Our primary task is to get rid of this mass poverty and we have made considerable progress since independence but much more needs to be done. And in making this happen, the role of public administration is of critical importance.
Ideological Opposite
Our primary task is to create opportunities for everyone. Without equal access to opportunities we will never be able to create conditions to get rid of this mass poverty. We have made considerable progress since independence but much more needs to be done. And to make this happen, the role of public administration is of critical importance. First and foremost any civilized country requires a public administration which is able to enforce law and order and provide a feeling among people that we have a just and caring administration. Enterprise cannot flourish without the maintenance of law and order
Original speech
But there is one thing I wish to emphasise that please do not neglect that you belong to an All India Service. We allocate IAS officers among various States because India is a quasi federal country.
Ideological Opposite
But there is one thing I wish to emphasise that while you may belong to an All India Service you must feel invested in the community you serve, feel accountable to its needs and aspirations. It is a disgrace that India is still a quasi federal country where even manpower allocation is centralized.We must look forward to the day when each state and local government is able to make its own decisions in choosing from the best and brightest the Indian Administrative Service has to offer.
Original speech
please do not forget that our Constitution has made India one large common market. You may work in a particular State, you may belong to a particular State, but never lose sight of the all India perspective that what you do and what you do not do has implication of the development over a billion people that live in our country and you have to play the leading role in strengthening the unity and integrity of our country, in ensuring that all classes and all groups of our people live in peace and amity. Therefore for this reason it is very essential to pay particular attention to the needs of the under privileged sections of our society. It was the dream of the Father of our Nation Mahatma Gandhi to wipe the tears from the eyes of each and every suffering Indian. That ambition may be too much to ask for but our task will never be complete unless we get rid of mass poverty.
Ideological Opposite
please do not forget that our Constitution aspired to make India one large common market. But in reality there exist many barriers to the free flow of goods, people and ideas across India. You may work in a particular State, you may belong to a particular State, but never lose sight of the all India perspective that what you do and what you do not do has implication of the development over a billion people that live in our country and you have to play the leading role in strengthening the unity and integrity of our country, in ensuring that all classes and all groups of our people live in peace and amity. Therefore for this reason it is very essential to pay particular attention to the needs of the under privileged sections of our society. It was the dream of the Father of our Nation Mahatma Gandhi to wipe the tears from the eyes of each and every suffering Indian. That ambition may be too much to ask for but our task will never be complete unless we get rid of these barriers which are the primary cause for mass poverty.
Original speech
it is equally important that there should be emphasis on character, on probity in public life. We cannot allow corruption in public services. And if we really look upon ourselves as the servers of the people of India, we must never forget that India is still a country where millions and millions of people go hungry, they are under fed, many of our children are under nourished.
Ideological Opposite
it is equally important that there should be emphasis on character, on probity in public life. We cannot allow corruption in public services and to do so we must cut avenues that breed corruption. And if we really look upon ourselves as the service providers to the people of India we must never forget that Customer is God as Gandhi once remarked. We must reform the systems and processes of service delivery so that in this country millions and millions of people poor don’t have to go hungry or be malnourished because of inefficient service delivery by the government .
Original speech
I therefore urge each one of you to use your time to acquire the best possible skills for public administration, at the same time best possible skills to deal with law and order, to ensure that Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, our women are not feeling insecure, atrocities against the SCs/STs are a matter of national shame. Your duty must be to provide protection, succor to the most backward parts of the community and I would urge those of you who come from the State where tribals are a very large part of population, have a special responsibility to ensure that these tribal communities do succeed in joining the national mainstream, that they do succeed in becoming partners in national development and therefore I would urge each one of you to study very carefully the dynamics of social and economic change, the factors that are moving us forward, the factors if which neglected can push the pace of development and therefore do as best as you can while you are at the Academy, in acquisition of knowledge.
Ideological Opposite
I therefore urge each one of you to use your time to acquire the best possible skills for public administration, at the same time best possible skills to deal with law and order to ensure Justice for all and Discrimination against none. Caste prejudices are a disgrace to our society and have no religious sanction. We must look forward to the day where no Caste or Tribe needs to seek protection in a Schedule. That day will only come when discrimination ceases and Justice is delivered to all without prejudice to any. Our women are not feeling insecure, atrocities against them are a matter of national shame. Your duty must be to provide protection, succor to that faceless and nameless Indian who neither seeks power nor flaunts it and is merely trying to get by. I would urge those of you who come from the State where tribals are a very large part of population, have a special responsibility to ensure that the fruits of our enterprise reach the tribal communities that they do succeed in becoming partners in our economic success and therefore I would urge each one of you to study very carefully the dynamics of social and economic change, the factors that are moving us forward, the factors if which neglected can push the pace of development and therefore do as best as you can while you are at the Academy, in acquisition of knowledge.
Original speech
I would also suggest that in recent years, we have laid more and more emphasis on the third tier of development, the Panchayati Raj Institutions. I said that India is too large a country to be administered from the Centre or even from the State capital. We must decentralize power, we must decentralize decision making processes, we must decentralize the various development programmes so that the people at the ground level get involved in what is going to shape the future of them and their children. And therefore I would urge each one of you to pay special attention to how we can make the panchayati raj in our country a success, we have good examples, we have cases where panchayati raj institutions have not been functioning well, where panchayati raj institutions have not been able to make the type of impact that they should and I hope that I think there will be important case studies which will bring out what it takes to make for an efficient, equitable system of development administration through the panchayati raj. These are some of the thoughts that I thought I would mention to you.
Ideological Opposite
I would also suggest that in recent years, we have laid more and more emphasis on the third tier of development, the Panchayati Raj Institutions and our Urban Local Bodies. I said that India is too large a country to be administered from the Centre or even from the State capital. All wisdom does not reside in Delhi or State Capitals or for that matter in District Headquarters. We must devolve power to the third tier of government. We must empower local communities to be masters of their destiny by not just enabling them to make their own decisions but to be able to sustain those decisions with the necessary financial freedom. We must make Local Government including Law Enforcement directly accountable to the Local Community it serves so that the people at the ground level get to have a direct say in what is going to shape the future of them and their children. And therefore I would urge each one of you to pay special attention to how we can make the panchayati raj and urban local bodies in our country a success, we have good examples. We should create more such examples as these will be important case studies which will bring out what it takes to make for an efficient devolution of power, freedom and autonomy to Local Government with accountability to the Local Community. These are some of the thoughts that I thought I would mention to you.
Original speech
I would also urge you that today our country is faced with many challenges and the challenges of Naxalite activity, the challenges of terror, the challenge of what I should describe as communal tensions, it is our duty to ensure that we should do our very best, to learn what are the factors which lead people to go astray from the mainstream thinking, what is it that we can do to bring back the misguided elements in our society. The law and order has to be administered and administered effectively. But we must also recognize that when we deal with problem areas in particular, when we deal with Scheduled Caste people in particular, that there are root causes of social and economic discontent and it is our duty while administering law and order, pay particular attention to promote the well being of the disadvantaged sections of the community. I have mentioned maintenance of communal harmony is absolutely necessary. Without that, India can break apart. And therefore communal harmony is a must, given a ray of hope and also a sense of purpose to the young people from tribal communities, from scheduled castes community is equally important and as administrators of various districts, various parts of our country, I would urge you to pay special attention to the needs of SCs, STs, minorities and women.
Ideological Opposite
I would also urge you that today our country is faced with many challenges and the challenges of Naxalite activity, the challenges of terror, the challenge of what I should describe as a culture of violence that breeds on bigotry and insecurities. It is our duty to ensure that the Rule of Law is always upheld unmindful of root causes. We should do our very best, to learn what are the factors which encourage violence and work to eliminate them. Above all else we must reinforce faith in the Justness of our way of life and our Institutions, that constantly strive to create Equal Access to Opportunities, that seek to remove barriers and that ensure Justice is never delayed or denied. We must reiterate and reinforce that root causes of social and economic discontent will not be eliminated unless we have faith in our Institutions while holding them accountable . We must eliminate the mindset that looks to divide Indians as “Scheduled Caste people”, “disadvantaged sections”. We are one nation and every Indian must have equal access to opportunities. It is incumbent on all of us Indians in our private and public life to go the extra mile to help those who have been historically discriminated against so that they no longer face any barriers in accessing opportunities that may come easily to us. I have mentioned maintenance of Rule of Law is absolutely necessary. Without that, India can break apart. I would urge you to pay special attention to the needs of those who have been historically discriminated against so their faith in the State’s ability to deliver Justice is never shaken.
Original speech
I should also say that changes are taking place in patterns of living all around India. In 20 years time, probably 50% of India would be living in urban areas. The management of urban chain, the management of infrastructure, the role of local level administration in meeting the needs of urban development, the needs of law and order, special problems that arise when large conglomerations in metropolitan towns become a fact of life. The policing of these areas requires special skills. And therefore our administration must be very alert to the challenges of rapid urban development, of course that does not mean that we should neglect rural areas. India still lives in rural areas. 52% of our urban population is still dependent on agriculture and it is there that Government has a major role to play in ensuring that development of agriculture takes place at a pace that our nation needs to provide food security, to provide employment security.
Ideological Opposite
I should also say that changes are taking place in patterns of living all around India. In 20 years time, probably 50% of India would be living in urban areas. The management of urban chain, the management of infrastructure, the role of local level administration in meeting the needs of urban development, the needs of law and order, special problems that arise when large conglomerations in metropolitan towns become a fact of life. The policing of these areas requires special skills. And therefore it is absolutely important that our Cities and Towns have the freedom and autonomy to shape their destiny, manage their own affairs, decide what is best for them and ensure their aspirations are realized. The Center and state governments must not stand in their way with bureaucratic interventions and political meddling. Of course that does not mean that we should neglect rural areas. India still lives in rural areas. 52% of our urban population is still dependent on agriculture and it is there that Government has a major role to play in removing the barriers that prevent every Farmer from thinking of himself or herself as an Entrepreneur. We must remove the Institutional bottlenecks, archaic laws and public monopolies that have shackled our farmers and throttled our Supply Chains. Food security and employment security will not come until we have a vibrant Food economy that is not burdened by an inefficient and overbearing government.
Jai Hind
Filed under: Ambedkarite Constitutionalism, economic freedom, Internet Hindus, Left Liberalism, Local Governance, Narendra Modi, Nitin Gadkari, Offstumped, Progressivism, UPA-II Critical Appraisal
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