For a Good Life Beyond ‘Welfare, Development’
Citizens Plead ‘Treat
us with Courtesy, Give us Choice
and Voice’
Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao
The Hans India
(17-12-2023)
{The overall negative perception
about public services as apathetic, insensitive, dilatory, dishonest, and biased
needs to be addressed. Public expect that the citizen is placed at the center
of administration instead of being treated as a passive recipient of services.
The ‘Praja Vani’ (Citizen’s Voice) Experiment initiated by Telangana Chief
Minister A Revanth Reddy, will be a ‘Trendsetter and Trailblazer’ for other
states, if continued seriously. It is a platform with a mix of ‘Public
Grievances Redressal’ and ‘Public Facilitation Center.’ Instead of organizing ‘Praja
Vaani,’ only for two days in a week, in the long run, it could be on all days,
and on each day, two or three concerned Ministers listen to public grievances,
with a day exclusively by CM himself - Synoptic Note by Editor The Hans India}.
It is generally construed that,
Government or Governance means, ‘Welfare and Development’ and nothing else. If
it is true, then, despite best of welfare and development, why are governments voted
out?
Therefore, there is something else,
that, citizens of their choice need. The good old concept of Government that, it
means ‘Ruling and Controlling the State and Citizen’ is obsolete now. Difference
between ‘Government and Governance,’ is that former refers to ‘Institutional Structure’
and latter to ‘Collective Action and Networking of Citizens.’ Government or Governance
is not like parents’ intruding. ‘Father's Excessive Concern for and
Interference in his Son’s Life,’ as in a Telugu Movie ‘Bommarillu,’ leads to
son’s ‘Bitterness to his Overbearing Father.’
As a student of Public Administration
and Political Science, I accept as true, with Henry David Thoreau, an American
Philosopher of yester years, that, ‘The Best Government is that which Governs
Least,’ which phrase is also credited to Thomas Jefferson or John Locke. Being
in Active Public and Private Service for over 53 years, beginning career as Librarian,
I reached to a level as Chief Public Relations Officer to First Chief Minister
of Telangana. 53 years’ service included 15 years stint put together with
Governor Kumud Ben Joshi and two extraordinarily intellectual, incredible, and
influential Chief Ministers Dr M Channa Reddy and K Chandrashekhar Rao. Working
with them, and with high profile IAS Officers, I had an opportunity to closely witness
the decision-making process in administration, though seldom formed part of it.
Organizing Training Programs in Dr MCR
HRD Institute, for 9 years, including that of ‘Under Training IAS Officers’ and
to entire AP State Cabinet once, was an experience of ‘Joint Learning’ on
Governance. Similarly, while organizing ‘Governing for Results,’ and
‘Orientation to Management of Training (OMOT)’ Programs, along with my senior
colleagues, R Seeta Rama Rao, and MP Sethy, on directions of the then Chief
Minister Chandrababu Naidu, in which participants were HoDs and senior IAS
Officers, gave me improved insight on ‘Government, Governance, Welfare and
Development.’ Citizens’ Charter, Public Grievances Redressal, Public
Facilitation Centers, Right to Information, Reform Initiatives etc. Programs provided
extra information on this subject.
Leading ‘Public Private Partnership’ theme
in Emergency Management and Research Institute provided me an opportunity to
interact with Bureaucrats and Ministers, who included Chief Ministers, of some
states, during my visits for expansion of 108 Ambulance Services to more than ten
states. Among them were undivided AP and Gujarat CMs, Dr YS Rajshekhar Reddy,
and Narendra Modi respectively, enabling further exposure to Governance.
Of late, it has become a fashion for
successive governments, to announce scheme after scheme, whether beneficiary accepts
or not, as an ‘Excessive Concern.’ Despite ‘Per Capita Income and GSDP’ growth,
which perceptibly means poverty is on the decline, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
Schemes are being announced. Likewise, ‘Development’ is certainly acceptable,
but, ‘Erratic Development,’ without going in to the other side of undesirable
aspects, is arguable. For instance, construction of many Irrigation Projects maybe
required, but by that it may not be desirable to do away with production of multiple
crops as in the past, and limit to huge paddy production?
From ‘Kingdoms and Empires,’
‘Monarchies and Dictatorships,’ and ‘Feudalism and Capitalism,’ Governments altered
to ‘Sovereign, Socialistic, Secular, Democracies,’ as in the case of India. Abraham
Lincoln’s Ideology of ‘Democracy is a Government of the People, by the People
and for the People' though welcomed, remained on paper by and large. ‘Governance’
transformed to ‘Good Governance,’ and ‘Governance with Difference.’ Development
and Welfare Schemes are prioritized. But, people, in the ever-changing economic
status scenario, social and political awareness, broadening of occupations, and
being conscious of empowerment, expect to listen to them, before decisions are
taken. Instead of ‘Unilateral and Arbitrary’ decisions Citizen’s preference is ‘Nothing
More and Nothing Less, but to be Precise.’
In the changing and emerging context, it is
time for Governments, to fundamentally change their perceptions of Governance
and ‘Justify the Trust of Faith of the People’ in Administration, by taking Citizens
in to confidence, in the decision-making process, which for all practical
purposes is absent now. Designing, Developing, and Delivering Schemes, however much
liberal, generous, and beneficial maybe, will be a total futile exercise, or maximum
may cause temporary success. Governments must annul, forever, the ‘Growing Doubts
about the Accountability, Effectiveness, and Moral Standards’ of their
Administration in Citizens.
In politics of ‘Cut Throat Competition’
and urge to come to power, retain power and continue in power, it is a
challenging task to accomplish the above, and demands unstinted commitment of not
only Politicians, but also their Civil Servants. Therefore, this requires a ‘Paradigm
Shift’ transforming ‘Regulator Governance’ to ‘Facilitator Governance.’ Rather,
a Government from ‘Regulator and Controller’ to ‘Enabler of Citizen Needs.’ This
is possible, if only, ‘Interface with Citizens with Determination’ is enhanced,
propelling the service providers, ‘Responsive and Accountable to People.’ The
lead shall come from CMs in states and PM at center.
This paradigm shift in Governance shall
be, from ‘Fat, Complacent Administration’ to ‘Slender, Alert Administration’;
from ‘Bureaucracy’ to ‘Honesty’; from ‘Extremely Tight Culture’ to ‘Ability to
Change, and Familiarize’; from ‘Public Hostility’ to ‘Public Empathy’; from ‘We
know Best and Everything Arrogance’ to ‘Concept of Joint Learning’; from ‘Mistrust
and Fear of Government’ to ‘Trust and Faith in Leader and Governance’; from ‘Administration
Controlled by Hierarchies’ to ‘Decision Making based on Team Work’; from ‘Concentration
in Power’ to ‘Co-ordination in Work Culture’; from ‘Citizen Unfriendly’ to ‘Citizen
Friendly’; from Pure ‘Local Standards’ to a mix of ‘Local and World Standards’;
and finally from ‘Conservative and Inflexible’ to ‘Creative and Innovative.’
Shared concern of citizen is to have
an efficient, open, responsive, accountable, clean, and dynamically adjusting
administration. The overall negative perception about public services as
apathetic, insensitive, dilatory, dishonest, and biased needs to be addressed. ‘Citizens'
Charters’ once successfully tried all over country including AP, 25 years ago, and
now either abandoned or in namesake operation should be revived beginning with
those departments which have a large public interface, specifying standards of
service and time limits that the public can reasonably expect so that the
citizen is placed at the center of administration instead of a passive
recipient of services.
Therefore, for a ‘Good Life,’ ‘Beyond Welfare
and Development,’ what Citizens are saying is ‘Treat us with Courtesy and
Respect, Make Things Easy for us, Provide Reliable and Timely Help, Give us
Choice and Voice.’ Good Life implies, ‘Self-Satisfaction, Self-Mastery and
Personal Fulfilment.’ Perhaps, the ‘Praja Vani’ (Citizen’s Voice) Experiment
initiated by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, will be a ‘Trendsetter and
Trailblazer’ for other states, if continued seriously. It is a platform with a
mix of ‘Public Grievances Redressal’ and ‘Public Facilitation Center.’
Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, in
Her address to both Houses of Legislature on December 15, describing Her
Government and Governance as the one, taking steps to give Freedom, Liberty and
Equal Opportunities to people within the reach of Citizen, said that, the
'Praja Vaani' is first step in this direction.
However, instead of organizing ‘Praja Vaani,’ only for two days in a
week, in the long run, it could be on all days, and on each day, two or three
concerned Ministers listen to public grievances, with a day exclusively by CM
himself.
Further, CM Revanth Reddy’s recent visit
to Dr MCR HRD Institute, and giving importance to ‘Training Public Servants’
will go a long way, in realizing by ‘Letter and Spirit,’ in providing ‘Learning
Opportunities Systematically’ to Public Servants, both Official and
Non-Official, which is essential to improve the mandatory ‘Knowledge, Skill and
Attitudinal Change,’ on the implications of above-mentioned Paradigm Shift.
(Writer is Former CPRO to Former
Chief Minister, Telangana).
