Narendra Modi speaks at 11th Civil Services Day: Be enablers instead of regulators, PM tells babus Here are the highlights of PM Modi's speech

Narendra Modi speaks at 11th Civil Services Day: Be enablers instead of regulators, PM tells babus

Here are the highlights of PM Modi's speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the civil services officers on the occasion of 11th civil services day and asked to stop being regulators to start being enablers. The prime minister, in his speech, said that there is a need to bring a qualitative change in the functioning of civil services. ” Changing trends in the last 15-20 years have altered the dynamics. Competition can play a big role in bringing a qualitative change,” Modi said. PM Modi also asked the officers to start using social media for better usage Praising the use of social media to reach out to people, Modi said, “E-governance, M-governance, social media- these are good means to reach out to the people and for their benefits.

Here are the highlights of his speech:

* Earlier, role of the government, from healthcare to wanting to set up an industry, was very strong. Things are changing since 15 years: PM Modi

* People are now seeing alternatives. For example- it can be about a private airline or a private healthcare service: PM Narendra Modi

* Changing trends in the last 15-20 years have altered the dynamics. Competition can play a big role in bringing a qualitative change: PM Modi

* With changing times, a need may arise that we may have to change our working style. From regulator, we need to be an enabling entity: PM Modi

* With quantum jump in work must also come a qualitative change: PM on Civil Services Day

* Hierarchy remains an issue- this is something we inherited from colonial rulers and we did not leave that behind in Mussoorie: PM Modi to officers

* E-governance, M-governance, social media- these are good means to reach out to the people and for their benefits: PM Modi

* A spirit of ownership is essential. Let us believe that through this set up we can bring a positive change in people’s lives: Prime Minister Modi

* Take ideas seriously, even if from your junior most person. Learn to take ownership, PM Modi tells bureaucrats

* Excellence must go hand in hand with responsibility, says PM Modi

* I see officers, ‘busy, busy’ with their mobiles. So i banned mobiles in meetings, says Prime Minister Modi

* The push for reform comes from political leadership but the perform angle is determined by officers & Jan Bhagidari transforms: PM Modi

* Every policy of ours and its implementation has to be outcome centric: PM Modi

States of inequality Economic disparity among and within regions is on the rise. This growing divergence needs policy intervention

States of inequality

Economic disparity among and within regions is on the rise. This growing divergence needs policy intervention

It is believed that a rising tide lifts all boats; unfortunately, this is not true about India. Economic development has enhanced divergence rather than fostering convergence. Inter- and intra-regional disparity has accentuated. The recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Economic Survey of India, Article IV Consultations of the International Monetary Fund and the Economic Survey, all conclude that spatial income inequality in India is not only large but increasing. The increasing income divergence amongst states is clearly reflected in the chart alongside which captures the trend of average per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) for the top three and bottom three states and Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) from 1993-94 to 2013-14.

Further, intra-regional disparity to overall income inequality has also increased substantially. The OECD Economic Survey of India concludes that the “difference across households living in the same state” is the most important source of income inequality. Utilising district-level data, Das, Ghate and Robertson (2015) infer that intra-regional disparity in India is as important a component of spatial inequality as inter-state disparity. Their analysis suggests that inter-alia, factors like distance to the closest urban agglomeration, differences in urbanisation, electricity provisions and state-specific characteristics play a crucial role in explaining divergence across districts.

Illustration: C R Sasikumar

The makers of the Indian Constitution were aware of these inherent dangers. The mechanism of appointing a Finance Commission every five years was designed to address this issue. The Gadgil Formula implemented in the fourth Five Year Plan took due cognisance of the need for balanced regional development by assigning weights to crucial parameters of states like population, per capita income, special problems, to name a few, for determining horizontal devolution. The concept of Special Category States was introduced in 1969 (fifth Finance Commission) for providing special assistance to disadvantaged states with a low resource base, difficult terrain, low population density, inadequate infrastructure and non-viable state finances.

The Planning Commission also adopted an area-specific approach in its planning strategy and introduced multiple centrally sponsored programmes. The Tribal Development Programme, the Hill Area Development Programme, the Western Ghat Development Programme were initiated, catering to geographically homogeneous and backward regions. Regrettably, such area-specific approaches for growing divergences in development patterns have not been successful. Reducing regional inequalities remains a daunting politico-administrative challenge. A credible and holistic strategy could include the following ingredients.

First, persisting with the belief that smaller states improve governance quality. In the context of the reorganisation of states in 2000, comparing pre-reorganisation (1993-94 to 2000-01) and post-reorganisation (2001-02 to 2008-09) data reveals that the increase in growth rates for the newly formed states was in the range of 4-6 per cent post-reorganisation, much higher than the national increase of around 2 per cent. Asher and Novosad (2015), using satellite and survey data, conclude that increased autonomy and political representation lead to accountable governance and help promote development.

Even though onerous, we should consider reorganisation of unwieldy, unmanageable states having distinctly identifiable regions. Uttar Pradesh, even after carving out Uttarakhand, has several regions at varying levels of growth and socio-economic development. The abysmal state of the economic and social development of eastern UP necessitates a radical solution. Similarly, the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions are drastically behind western Maharashtra in terms of growth and development. According to the Annual Report 2011-12 of the Marathwada Development Board, of the total MSMEs, large industries and SEZs in Maharashtra, Marathwada has only 7 per cent, 11 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. Economic viability and administrative efficacy, while maintaining the Union’s integrity, must become the overarching principle for reorganisation. While carving smaller states is no panacea, the improved governance quality and anecdotal evidence supports what Ambedkar had professed in his Thoughts on Linguistic States.

Second, re-inventing the role of Inter-State Council and Zonal Councils. The Inter-State Council, established in 1990 under the provisions of Article 263, is a permanent constitutional body headed by the prime minister while Zonal Councils are statutory bodies formed under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. Although the meetings of these councils were held recently under the current political leadership, yet there has been a considerable hiatus between their meetings. While Inter-State Councils mostly deliberate on promoting centre-state relations and coordinating policy actions, the genesis of the five Zonal Councils was during secessionist and linguistic agitations in the first decade of Independence. The core objectives of the Zonal Councils pertain to national integration and arresting regionalism.

However, in the contemporary economic and political milieu, issues of growth, development and equity assume priority. In this light, restructuring the Zonal Councils to meet contemporary challenges, and re-energising Inter-State Councils could have positive multipliers. Re-conceptualising the mandate of the Inter-State Council in facilitating a comprehensive partnership for collective and balanced regional growth deserves priority. Placing the Inter-State Council under the aegis of the NITI Aayog would augur well as the prime minister is the chairman of both these institutions. With similar composition and mandates, the synergistic advantages from the cooperation of these two organisations would seek greater regional convergence.

Third, can exports become an engine of growth for the more laggard states? Backward states, especially in eastern India, have comparative factor advantage for labour-intensive industries like textiles and leather. Harnessing their comparative advantage for low-skill labour-intensive activity can create a viable export sector. Surmounting logistical challenges and competitive labour regulations would be central in creating new export hubs. While creating special economic zones in coastal India has obvious logistical advantages, mobilising the abundant labour supply coupled with skill inculcation makes the export-led approach an attractive policy for many laggard states. Export sectors attract capital, technology and improved managerial practices which could greatly improve their competitive efficiency.

Finally, inter-state competition in improving governance and the ease of doing business should be fostered. According to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), between April 2000 and December 2016, Maharashtra and the NCR alone accounted for 52 per cent of the total FDI equity inflows. Similarly, during 1990-91 and 2013-14, Maharashtra and Gujarat alone accounted for more than 30 per cent of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), a proxy for investments in the country. Mundle et al (2016), while ranking the governance performance of 19 states, observed that five of the six best-performing states in 2001 were also the best performers in 2011.

This persistent stagnation needs rigorous action. Fostering competition amongst states through the Business Reform Action Plan, where progress in 2016 in achieving a national implementation rate of 48.93 per cent (compared to 32 per cent in 2015) is significant. But enticing private investment will need further action on simplifying regulatory architecture, reducing the onerousness of litigation and alternative dispute settlement mechanisms, and easing factors of production, particularly land and labour, where action rests with the state. This could also catalyse private investment and innovative public-private partnerships.

The mandate and role of the Niti Aayog should be redefined and enhanced to evolve models aimed at balanced regional development. It is axiomatic that the reticence of private investment in backward states can be somewhat overcome through enhanced public outlays. Given the constraints of fiscal space, seeking greater engagement of multilateral agencies, both traditional and non-traditional, like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the New Development Bank as well as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank would be helpful. Special infrastructure programmes designed for the more backward states will have multiplier benefits. The growing divergence of states, with the exception of health parameters, needs policy-induced reversal. Growth begets development because, as Henry Ford once put it, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself”.

India’s initiative to save Mother Earth

India’s initiative to save Mother Earth

United Nations celebrates a special day to celebrate Mother Earth on 22^nd April. Launched in 1970 with 10000 thousand people, today it covers one billion people in 192 countries. The basic objective is to raise awareness about the obligation of human beings to protect Earth and share its resources with future generations.

The theme for 2017 is to create “environment and climate literacy” to empower the knowledge base of common people towards the issue and inspiring them towards actions to defend the Mother Earth.

According to IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) India is most vulnerable to the impact of climate change adversely impacting the health, economic development and food security.

In order to address this challenge of climate change India has evolved a comprehensive plan ‘India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC): Working towards Climate Justice’.  This document addresses the issue holistically including the elements of adaptation, mitigation, finance, green technology and capacity building. While implementing these intended actions, it calls for the right of developing countries for an equitable carbon space to achieve sustainable development and eradication of poverty.

The formation of Rs 3500 million or US Dollar 56 million ‘National Adaptation Fund’ will initiate policies towards renewable energy through multiple initiatives to achieve the target of reducing carbon emissions by 33 to 35 percent by 2030.

The main focus is to revisit the National Missions under National Action for Climate Change (NAPCC) with additional missions on wind, health, water and redesigning missions on sustainable agriculture.

The adaptation strategy is directed towards sustainable use o land and water resources. The implementation of soil heath cards across the country, watershed and use of water efficient irrigation programme will pave way towards risk proofing agriculture. The coverage of agricultural insurance of crops though climate change disasters is another initiative that comes to the rescue of farmers.

The mitigation strategies involves generation of clean and green energy by increasing renewable energy capacity form 35 GW (Giga Watt) to 175 GW by 2022. In addition to the National Solar Mission that targets fivefold increase in solar power to 1000 GW, it also aims to develop smart power grids to enhance the efficiency of power transmission and distribution across the country. To cap the wastage of energy consumption a nationwide campaign for energy conservation is launched to save 10 per cent energy consumption.

While these are macro level policies to address the issue of climate change, the government of India has initiated micro projects that have direct benefits accruing to the poorest groups while contributing to saving energy.

Under the ministry of Renewable Energy, UJALA scheme is launched in which 22.66 crore LED bulbs are distributed that will save Rs 11776 crores while reducing carbon emission up to 24 Metric tons per year.

Similarly under the ministry of Petroleum free LPG connections are given to women holding BPL cards. The Prime Ministers Ujjwala Yojana has already reached 2 crore households and it aims to reach the target of 5 crores house holds by 2019 with an outlay of Rs 8000 crores.

This has direct impact on rural women empowering them by providing easy access to clean energy source that improves their health and reducing the pressure on forest resources as well as reducing the carbon emissions.

The Swaach Bharat Mission is another strategy under which there are initiatives to create energy form the waste in urban areas. Similarly recycling and reuse of waste water is another initiative 23277 millions litre of water per day in 816 sewage treatment plants across the country.  

Green India Mission is another initiative to reforest barren land with the annual target of increasing the forest quality and cover in 5 million hectares will sequester 100 million tons of carbon annually.

The traditional Indian culture emphasised the need for harmonious co existence between man and nature. With the concept of “Basudaiv Kutumbakam” all life forms on the Earth is considered as one family and reinforces the concept of interdependence. Before the advent of Mother Earth Day in the modern world, the Vedas and Upanishads considered Earth as our mother and human being as the children. Much before the arrival of climate change crises, our forefathers envisaged the concept of environmental sustainability and to become the trustees of Earth to be passed on to future generations.

It will be appropriate to recall the statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the United Nations summit in which he said “We should forge a global public partnership to harness technology, innovation and finance to put affordable clean and renewable energy within the reach of all. Equally, we must look for changes in our lifestyles that would make us less dependent on energy and more sustainable in our consumption. It is equally critical to launch a global education programme that prepares our next generation to protect and conserve Mother Earth”.

Thus it is only through creation of environment and climate literacy that will result in global action of changing the life styles that leads to reduction in the carbon emission that we can save Mother Earth.

Commemoration of the National Panchayati Raj Day on 24TH April 2017

Commemoration of the National Panchayati Raj Day on 24TH April 2017

                      

The Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation and Rural Development Shri Narendra Singh Tomar today said that under the 14^th Finance Commission, Centre will be releasing more than 2 lakh crore rupess to Gram Panchayats for 5 years to undertake physical and social infrastructure projects in the villages. Addressing the media here on the eve of the National Panchayati Raj Day to be observed on 24^th April, 2017 at Lucknow, the Minister said that earlier about Rs 30,000 crore was allocated to the Panchayats in the 13^th Finance commission, wherein Panchayats found it difficult to execute developmental projects in a holistic fashion. Laying stress on training of Panchayat functionaries and to promote healthy completion among panchayats, the Ministry is making all out efforts for the real empowerment of Gram Panchayats.

Shri Tomar said that the Panchayati Raj Ministry has asked all Gram Panchayats to prepare advance planning related to problems faced by them and till date more than one lakh 75, 000 village development plans were received. He said that each village has on an average 4 to 5 major issues like drinking water, drainage system, roads and solid and liquid waste management, which can be solved easily as now there is no dearth of funds to the Panchayats. He said that training programme will be undertaken by SIRD and State Governments jointly to enlighten and empower the PR functionaries.

This year Ministry of Panchayati Raj is commemorating   National Panchayati Raj Day on 24^th April 2017 at Lucknow , Uttar Pradesh . The Chief  Minister of Uttar Pradesh  Shri Adityanath Yogi  will inaugurate the conference while the Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking water and sanitation will preside over the function.

 During the National Panchayat Raj Day event at Lucknow , UP   the following documents and applications will be launched.  

•      Launching of You-Tube Channel of Ministry of Panchayati Raj with short films on Best Practices and schemes of Government of India.

•      Sharing of audio-visual capacity building content for Panchayati Raj Institutions through instant messaging apps over smartphones to elected members of Panchayats.

•      Release of quarterly magazine with QR codes and its online version for access to PRIs over mobile phones.

•      National awards viz., Deendayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar, Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar to be conferred upon Panchayati Raj Institutions and e-Panchayat Puraskars to State Governments.

 Moreover, a quarterly Newsmagazine “Gramoday Sankalp”, published and distributed by Ministry of Panchayati Raj on behalf of three Ministries viz., Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Rural Development and  Drinking Water and Sanitation   will also be released on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day . This news magazine will be launched in Hindi, English and other regional languages. It is expected that this newsletter will act as a vehicle for direct communication between the Policy makers and Gram Panchayats.

A Mobile App ( mobile application software)  of “ Gramoday Sankalp” news magazine  will also be launched ON National Panchayati raj Day  . This application ( App)  is currently available for android devices. To make it more interactive, an option for posting comments and responses will be provided to the readers , on the app.

You Tube channel :

The You Tube channel of the Ministry will also be launched during the inaugural event. This You tube channel will showcase the short video films of the Ministry featuring the inspirational success stories and best practices of panchayats. This will give an opportunity to the stakeholders to view the best practices in the Panchayats and emulate. 

NATIONAL AWARDS

On National Panchayati Raj Day the national awards viz., Deendayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar, Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar will be  conferred upon Panchayati Raj Institutions and e-Panchayat Puraskars to State Governments.

•      The nominations for Panchayats Awards are  invited online every year .

•      About thirty thousand Panchayats participated in Deendayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar and about 13,000 Gram Panchayats participated in Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar.

•      This year, 189 Panchayats in 25 States are being conferred with Nanaji Deshmukh Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar in recognition of their exemplary work for improving delivery of services and public goods. Out of total awards of 189 Panchayats, 24 awards belong to District Panchayats, 41 awards to Intermediate Panchayats and 124 awards to Village Panchayats. Out of 124 awards to Gram  Panchayats, 31 Thematic Awards have been decided in the category of Sanitation (18), Revenue Generation (5), e-Governance & Civic Services (3 each) and Disaster Management (2).

•      Twenty Gram Panchayats in 20 States are being conferred with Nanaji Deshmukh  Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar for outstanding performance through effective Gram Sabhas

•      Four States viz. Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Sikkim are being conferred e-Panchayat Puraskar for effective adoption, usage and encouragement of Panchayats in e-enablement.

NDMA conducts its first mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand

NDMA conducts its first mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted a first-of-its-kind State-level mock exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand today. The mock exercise, aimed at assessing the efficacy of integrating the preparedness and response mechanisms of the forest department with those of the district administration, has been conducted in collaboration with the State Government.

The exercise is significant as almost 70 per cent of the State's geographical area is under forests and incidents of forest fires are commonplace.

The simulation exercise was conducted simultaneously at multiple locations, including residential areas adjoining forests, across all 13 districts covering different types of forests and varying degrees of severity of forest fires.

NDMA expert Major General V.K. Datta (Retd.), who led the exercise, briefed about the proceedings of the day. As soon as reports of fire incidents started flowing in from districts, all senior officials reached the State Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) within a short time. They analysed the situation and issued instructions to districts for responding to the forest fires.

Simultaneously, officials in the districts also assembled at their respective EOCs, formed response teams and swung into action. Using various techniques and equipment, fires were doused and affected people, animals rescued.

The exercises were conducted in coordination with various agencies, such as fire, forest, Army, health, police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and civil defense. After the drills, a post-exercise analysis was carried out in which all concerned officials took part and discussed the shortcomings and ways to improve them.

The mock exercise was part of a three-day event which began with a Co-ordination Conference on April 18, 2017, followed by a Table-top Exercise on April 19, 2017. These meetings were held to ensure that necessary arrangements for conducting the mock exercise have been put in place.

NDMA has so far conducted more than 550 mock exercises in different States and Union Territories for various disaster situations in its efforts to improve preparedness and response mechanisms for various disaster situations. 

UKPCS-2012 INTERVIEW PROGRAMME 18th May to 20th June

How Germany became the world’s best economy

German unions’ willingness to hold down wages led to lower production costs in Germany, allowing the country to export more

Let’s hope US policymakers have woken up to the fact that the country is in a period of sclerosis, where its economic institutions seem to be inefficient along a variety of fronts. When things aren’t working, one good idea is to look around and see which countries are doing better.

Right now, Japan is one such country. But in many ways, Germany looks like the most successful economy in the developed world.

This wasn’t always the case. It was a German economist who coined the term “Eurosclerosis” to describe the slow growth that plagued the country from the 1980s through the 1990s. In the late 2000s, even as the US economy boomed, Germany’s unemployment rate exceeded 10%.

But almost a decade after the global financial crisis, the country has found its legs. Unemployment is down. Labour force participation has risen steadily. Wages have gone up as well, outpacing the US since the 1990s and looking healthy in recent years.

This stellar performance comes even as Germany faces many of the same challenges as other rich countries.

Its fertility rate is low—just 1.38 children per woman, even lower than Japan. And its population is slowly shrinking. That means that a smaller and smaller base of German workers has to support a growing number of retirees.

Germany also hasn’t escaped the global productivity slowdown. Like other rich countries, it’s struggling to produce more from the same amount of resources.

And Germany has also been dealing with the challenge of automation, possibly even more than the US. Only Japan has substantially more industrial robots than Germany.

If, as some now claim, robots are a big threat to jobs and wages, German workers should be suffering; instead, their wages have been growing at a steady clip, even as employment has risen.

What is Germany doing right?

The country has a very large state sector, generous welfare spending and a trade unionization rate almost twice that of the US. Though the country did undertake a few free-market reforms in the early 2000s, there has been no major wave of deregulatory mania.

Nor did Germany escape the 2008 financial crisis or the Great Recession, both of which hit it hard. In fact, political and financial instability in the European Union probably was a drag on the country.

A new article by economists Christian Dustmann, Bernd Fitzenberger, Uta Schönberg and Alexandra Spitz-Oener proposes a theory for the German revival. Essentially, they say, it’s all about exports and unions.

The authors note that Germany’s exports have increased steadily. Though the country accounts for less than 5% of global output, it has about 9% of world exports. Sales to other countries account for about half of Germany’s gross domestic product—more than twice as much as for China.

Why is Germany such an export powerhouse?

Dustmann, et al. attribute it to the country’s wage competitiveness. In Germany, wages are set by collective bargaining at the industry and regional level, rather than at the company level as in the US.

According to the authors, German unions’ willingness to hold down wages led to lower production costs in Germany, allowing the country to export more.

And although it may seem counter-intuitive at first glance, limiting wage gains eventually led to faster wage growth.

Think about it. Companies deciding where to produce things have to base their decisions not just on today’s wage level, but on their expectations of future wage changes.

German unions’ willingness to contain or forgo raises in bad times could act as an insurance policy for companies in good times, making them feel safer about building expensive factories and making risky long-term investments in the country.

But there are also other, more troubling explanations for Germany’s performance.

The country’s exports have not been matched by imports—Germany runs a very large trade surplus.

Under normal conditions, economists believe that if a country runs a trade surplus, its exchange rate should rise to cancel out some of the imbalance.

But Germany is part of the euro- zone, most of which is in an economic slump. That slump holds down the euro’s exchange rate against that of many other countries, making German exports cheap.

Also, the unified currency doesn’t allow the exchange rates of slower-growing countries such as Greece or Spain to fall against Germany, meaning that Germany gets a boost to exports within Europe.

Some of Germany’s export competitiveness, then, might be coming at the expense of other countries. And some might depend on other European nations being in a slump. Those advantages would be either unhealthy or temporary.

But if Germany’s success really is due to its unique method of collective bargaining, other countries—especially those with large persistent manufacturing trade deficits, such as the US—should think about ways to emulate the German system’s advantages.