Mantras For Rapid Development

It is time we celebrate the truly honest, those who stand by what they say and are not overwhelmed by a vested interest minority who scream in an unrelenting manner for their own gain. Rather a pompous statement, but there are honest ministers in ministries that have hitherto been seen to be platforms for making money.

The Petroleum ministry is one such! And, for a change we have a minister there who is scrupulously honest and influenced by his intellectually argued convictions. Let him remain in the saddle and bring back to our administration a sense of propriety and honesty. Let the gossip that abounds about him, being temporary, be proven wrong. Let us stick with what we have ? Mani Shanker Aiyer. Yes, it is a tribute to an individual who stood by his beliefs and finally made it to the Union Cabinet.

The good thing is that you can argue through the night with the likes of Mani Shanker Aiyer in an attempt to convince him that he should and can protect his navratnas but allow the private sector to handle the airports…you may in fact even convince him! It is also a relief to have no scandals here at this point in time. Three cheers for the old honest and gracious politicians who genuinely beli-eve in the priorities that are imperative for India and are not bought out by vested interest factions and groups.

There is a breath of fresh air in the ministry of tourism where the trappings of an overpowering bureaucracy have given way to a visitor-friendly ambience. A no-nonsense minister is constantly open to ideas and not, for the moment, hamstrung by some rather somnolent babu cautioning her creative thinking.

The babus, those who belong to the old school, cannot bear change because it undermines their stranglehold that has prevented change and growth in this service industry. The new age babu, on the other hand, is raring to go. This new threshold has to be crossed and excitement laced with fresh energy has to come into play. Challenge the babu.

In today?s age, the separation of culture from tourism is a trifle unnecessary. Across the world the two are in tandem and when they are not, policy towards both falls between two stools and rapid deterioration sets in as does corrosion. It cannot work as two entities run by two different ministries. They must be brought together for any definitive change to happen.

It is time we did make it happen and rebuild the fading pride that has overtaken India. Segregation for the sake of it at the cost of growth and development is unacceptable. There should be fewer ministries and fewer centres of power. Only then will rapid change take place.

Even in the area of handlooms and handicrafts, there are different ministries and therefore a hugely confused set of policy parameters. Instead of one point of reference, there are endless windows all of which are clueless about the real issues. The people who man these ?offices? have no respect whatsoever for either handlooms or handicrafts and skills. Their aspiration is synthetic fabric and plastic handbags! That is the tragedy, a tragedy that is destroying the greatest international strengths that this country has to offer.

Back to honesty…can you visualise an India where a bag of money is not demanded to get legitimate work done? An India where creativity dominates corruption? This Prime Minister has begun to do things differently, some of his ministers are doing so too, some bureaucrats are as well and if this new ?ism? can be accelerated, we will begin to see this country change, grow and garner respect from its own citizens as well as the world.

The next thing to look forward to is an Opposition that is constructive. Let us see what the forthcoming session of Parlia-ment reveals…will it be the usual madness of petulant anti-democratic behaviour or will there be some intelligent debate that leads India towards becoming a nation it deserves to be. Past patterns have been detrimental and unacceptable and have only reduced the stature of our country to a stooge nation of a super power. It needs to alter.