Reform to perform and transform with Jan bhagidaari is the mantra of government today. We should think in terms of futuristic and transformative reforms when we talk about India in 2047. These reforms should be underpinned on twin-pillars of policy and institution, which in turn can help achieve ease of living for citizens and ease of doing business—the wealth and job creators—over the next 20 odd years.
To achieve ease of living, policies should be formulated to make it easier for citizens to get government services, and not a plethora of schemes and programs, each with competing benefits and complexities in processes. It can be achieved through something as simple as a single sign-on. Why do citizens have to register separately for each scheme of the government—both at a Union and State level.
Similarly, in terms of ease of doing business, we should put in place strong policies under which there is a 15- or 20-point compliance framework for businesses, with which businesses would be expected to comply fully, and any violation would be strictly penalised by the state. This will guarantee certainty by design and avoid surprises of surveillance and Inspector Raj, a legacy of the British Raj.
This would be a much more efficient system and would also cut down the compliance burden for businesses. For the government, it would mean monitoring violations rather than worrying about which business is complying with which law.
In fact, when we talk about labour reforms, rather than codifying all different laws into four laws and expecting businesses to continue complying with all, the focus should instead be on cutting down the number of labour laws. Protecting jobs is more important than artificially protecting labour. Only a viable enterprise can comply with regulations and pay market wages to workers.
The reduction in the number of rules and going back to the basics is essential. The fear of East India Company must go. Over the years, we have built upon the colonial legacy of rules and regulations, primarily based on distrust of citizens, and that needs to be dismantled. Citizens must have easier access to all services.
We must move to a society where there is equality, an absence of fear and discrimination, and self-sufficiency. When we believe in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), we must ensure that our family, or country, too is doing well.
The other pillar of reforms over the next two decades should be good institutions. They can help bring about seamless delivery of welfare measures, infrastructure, and government services, which will enhance ease of living through double-digit economic growth.
For ease of doing business, our institutions should not arbitrate and litigate on all issues. Why should the state become a litigant on various matters and not contest and accept the verdict of High Court. They must not reach the Supreme Court unless it’s a constitutional matter. Similarly, it should not be the role of the state to run after citizens and litigate against them. Strong institutions can help achieve this. Faceless and paperless government and governance is the objective when we speak about minimum government and maximum governance.
By 2047, we need to think of a prosperous or Viksit Bharat—a perfect country with ease of living and where businesses are not harassed by the state for compliance. In an ideal situation, there should be distance between the state and its citizens the two do not need to interact daily.
For instance, building on the Co-WIN model, there can be a single portal for job seekers and employers, and they can access each other without any interference from the state. Such a model can be used for all development schemes.
When we talk of Viksit Bharat, we also have to focus on Building Rural India—our BRI—which is a crucial part of the country, and its development is essential for the development of the entire country. The focus here too has to be on simplicity, but along with providing all facilities to citizens in rural India as well. Providing housing for all, education, healthcare and all other basic services and facilities is much needed, and work is already underway.
The journey of Viksit Bharat 1991, and being in fast gear in the last decade, must adopt a digital mindset to harness power of technology to deliver development. The success of UPI showed that people needed banking and not banks. CoWIN facilitated that people needed vaccine, and not details about health infrastructure. People want to pay road tax, and fast tag facilitated this. Viksit Bharat is now the aspiration of Bharat and aspirational youth of today.
Views are personal. The author is the Director General of the Indian Institute of Public Administration and a retired IAS officer.
