Profile of civil administration in the country has changed in recent years and become socially more inclusive, while “power corridors” have been sanitized of “power brokers,” Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said.
Delivering the 2nd Dr Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) here, he said the power corridors have been sanitized of the people who could leverage governance through extra legal means, and this is a great achievement that is having impactful reflection in governance now.
The Vice President said young talent from remote villages, from humble families, from marginalized communities is joining the Civil services. “I have had the occasion to interact with trainees and I can tell you being myself from a village having seen what education means and how difficult it is to get it,” he said.
These young people have closely seen the positive role that public administration plays in eradicating poverty and improving chances of realizing their full potential, he said. Gone are the days when a young person could not translate idea into reality because of the lack of financial support or government policy coming in the way.
“Today, India is on rise as never before. It is inspired by the surge of aspirations and innovations and validated by the achievements of our citizens,” the Vice President said.
The next 25 years are going to be crucial for the country, he said, particularly because of the last nine years.
“In the last nine years, we have laid a foundation, a series of affirmative steps, that in 2047 when the country will be celebrating the centenary of Independence, we have to be at number one and my young friends will be there and warriors of 2047,” he said.
“Some of us may not be around but we all are very confident about the kind of ecosystem that has come to be evolved and the kind of stability that has come to be afforded, there is no doubt India will be number one in the world at that point of time,” the Vice President said.
Look at it from a global perspective, he said. “We are the favorite global destination of opportunity, innovation and investment. Our ninety thousand innovators Start Ups are the partners in this astounding phenomenal success. In this scenario, expectations of the people are going to go up and they must go up.
Dhankhar said “Today, the mantra of new India is Less Government, More Governance. The Executive is facilitating “Ease of Doing Business” with the larger objective of “Ease of Living.”
“I have seen it myself. As the governor of the state of West Bengal, I was heading a group of 10 Governors on ease of doing business and we engaged into serious deliberative sessions and this is happening in every walk of life. But these are subterranean, silent developments that impact us hugely and that help us optimize our working capacity,” the Vice President who is also the president of the IIPA said.
Governance is a dynamic concept and public administrators have to remain in tune with the changing expectations and requirements of citizens, Dhankhar said.
“While all this is happening, friends, I need to share and I cannot help myself but to share it with you all, worrying trend before this august audience. An intense assault on India’s values, integrity and its institutions is emanating from a well maintained incubator out to defame us,” he said.
An ecosystem is being shaped and nurtured to combat India’s emergence as Global power, he said. It is the favorite theme of some outside institutions to attack India’s legitimacy as a nation state and its Constitution. “I have a wise regard for our industrialists, they are contributing to the growth of the nation. But even the best of minds, sometimes need to be cautioned,” he said.
Some of India’s Billionaires and intellectuals, unmindful of consequence have fallen prey to such pernicious designs by funding these institutions. “Their benevolence can be more fruitfully utilized if they make financial contributions to our institutions of excellence IITs and IIMs rather than going outside. There is a need to reflect seriously on it. Why do they do it?. I firmly believe as an individual whatever CSR fund is, it must be utilized within the country,” he said.
“I don’t want to give figures but when I come to know that 200 crores have been given by a billionaire to an institute in the US or in 2008 the government of India itself gave 20 crores to another institution, we need to revisit our thought process, we do not need certification from anyone. The Best Collaboration has to be within the country by our own people,” he said.
“Elites in industry and intelligentsia, I make a fervent appeal to be thoughtful. This is not in an accusatory sense but merely caution because their intent is certainly not against India,” the Vice President said.
Appealing the political spectrum of this country, the Vice President said “Never underestimate the intellect of the people. They know all that is happening, they are very discerning.”
“Nothing can be more concerning for them than when Parliament, which is maintained by the public exchequer at huge cost and it doesn’t function day after day, is very painful. They want to hold us accountable. How paradoxical it is to send representatives to the Parliament to hold the government accountable and they are entertaining a different thought at the moment,” the Vice President who is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha said.