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Nilekani Model for Government?
posted by
Vivek Sharma
26 Jun 2009, 08:22
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labels: government
Nandan Nilekani’s appointment as the head of the new Unique Identification Authority may not be the first time a successful technocrat or an entrepreneur is appointed to a top government office. However, unlike most of the earlier such instances, Nilekani will head an organization with a specific mandate – that of issuing identity cards to all. With his experience in building one of the best process-oriented service providers anywhere in the world, Nilekani is better suited for the job than any senior bureaucrat or politician. As long as he has the prime minister’s backing, he need not worry much about political interference either. Can this model be followed in other areas of government as well? For instance, can the government appoint someone for setting up four or five world class universities or advanced research institutes in the country? Why not have people with the specific responsibility, and the executive powers, to complete a large highway or railway project? Why not appoint someone to build all the AIIM’s first mooted by the Vajpayee government many years back? Give them a budget and a time frame, and ask them to build. Need not give cabinet ranks like Nilekani to all; adequate level of operational freedom will suffice. The idea will find enough support because the government is so bad in project execution and service delivery. But, this model should not supplant the existing ministries unless it is a unique initiative like the identity card project. Instead, every ministry should be asked to identify a few significant projects under their purview that can be executed separately. To identify the persons to head such projects, there should be parallel recruitment where private sector managers will also be considered along with experienced bureaucrats. Once appointed, they should be give sufficient infrastructure, resources and freedom to perform. They should have a fixed tenure, which will match the project duration, and will be subject to a mid-term review. They should report directly to the concerned minister and should be shielded from all other interference. It will take a strong willed cabinet which can face down the wrath of the IAS lobby to do this though.
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