The Narendra Modi government must fundamentally reform the management of India’s government

May 19, 2014

The stage is now set for a new set of top managers of India’s government. The new BJP led government will start work in another week’s time.

During the last twenty three years of liberalisation, India has seen a sea change in the management of the private sector. Almost all aspects of management have changed, by and large, for the better: organisational structure, competitiveness, quality, performance, recruitment, training, remuneration. There is clearly room for improvement – especially in governance, manufacturing employment, agricultural productivity and environmental betterment.

However, this is not the picture when we look at the management (or the term commonly used       “administration”) of government. Do we have a structure and personnel of government that can deliver services, both social and economic, for a fairer society and an economy growing at 7-10%? (By government I also mean the public sector and regulatory authorities.)

The answer, to my mind, is no. The management of government has hardly changed in the last twenty three years, and consequently is under heavy stress. In these twenty three years, successive governments have tinkered with the system, but no serious attempt has been made to make it fundamentally more responsive, transparent, cleaner, and performance driven to serve a fairer society and a high growth economy.

The government gets the credit for initiating and continuing with economic reforms since 1991. This has played no small part in India’s progress in the last twenty three years.  Government’s success has been more at the policy level. But success at execution has been far less forthcoming. This is where management of government is critical to a better India.

I believe the Narendra Modi led BJP government should take their victory as a great opportunity to start on the task of improving the management of government. It is not going to be easy given the multiple layers of government in India. It is a long term task that requires steady commitment even as the government is beset by tactical day to day problems that require solutions.

Much of what ails India rests with the inability of government to perform in tune with a 21^st century India. The new government must make a start in fundamentally reforming the way government works.  Otherwise, performance and fairness will be personality driven and erratic.

Let’s start with the Centre, and one pilot State. India has no shortage of experts and experience that the Narendra Modi government can call upon to start and complete the reform process.