Bhai Kamlanand
Former Secretary, Government of India
Vision
“What is productivity but making the most of one’s time and talent, and energizing the whole surrounding environment so that men and women are inspired and motivated; that is to make most of themselves, both as individuals and as members of society on all planes of living, thinking and acting: whether it is politics or economics or home, village or factory, life at the ground level or life of the spirit”.
Rural Areas have traditionally been taken as caste ridden, illiterate, poverty stricken, poor in every respect where infrastructure, electricity, drinking water etc. are all missing. The fact remains that the rural areas have not marketed themselves effectively. If we accept marketing as essential for any sustainable development processes, then rural areas have not been able to market themselves from various angles Marketing of place, product, target groups, ideas, visions, problems, processes, systems and even intentions must be considered in a functioning concept of marketing. By a very narrow vision of marketing, which only connotes to product marketing, a lot of harm has been and is still done. In the era of existing globalisation, the compulsion for localization is imperative and these changes have to be carefully considered.
The practical and philosophical dimensions of convergence with reference to rural India have unfortunately remained vastly unattended. Convergence of programmes, facilities, services, etc. have been ventured by many national and international institutions without any lasting success. Convergence would be a very good term but fi requires clarity and brevity to make it understandable to the masses. Rural masses as a target group are very important because convergence through single window services available to urban masses and the organised big industrialists have become, by and large, a reality but when it comes to rural areas convergence is still a mirage.
Development
All talks of development, especially about the unorganised rural sector, have remained a myth hitherto. Development may mean many different things for different people. That way, some may we have taken a step forward and thus developed. But we can also justifiably feel that our development has been lopsided, even gone in a backward direction, detrimental to what nature including environment protection would require. In terms of happiness, satisfaction, contentment and overall quality of mindset, we definitely have not made real progress.
Dimensions of delivery systems in rural areas
When we look at public service delivery system from a historical perspective, we know that reorientation of delivery systems for production, services, administrative and educational sectors which does not involve people in management, planning and convergence can never be successful. The responsibility of mobilising different service providers or delivery systems cannot be left only to government servants and funds. In the era of centralized top-down planning, thrust has been on delivery through government staff. Hence, whether it was agriculture, industry, banking credit, education, culture, sports, family welfare, land records, civil supply, policing and law & order or other issues, it was supposed to be provided by government servants and schemes. In some areas, they have succeeded but a time has come to examine these areas in the light of the following challenges or tasks to be taken up:
- Massive awakening
- Failure of past development models – proper documentation of examples of failures and successes to learn from is missing
- unavoidability of humane policies, humanity and human rights must become supreme
- redundancy of established institutions
- all-round lack of faith or trust in government institutions at all levels
- dwindling resources of the State
- Overstaffing and poor work culture in State organizations
- neglect of community values and traditional hereditary practices
- realization that a balanced society cannot be held together by religious factors
- compulsions of global vision and local action (GVALA)
- awareness of women’s rights and neglected/exploited groups
- impact of financial issues on development, including security in old age (insurance)
- need to involve people, community and all stakeholders
- sustainable perspectives for rural youths (for example: jobs, education, health, etc.)
Many of these challenges are unique and unparalleled. There is no historical semblance, hence, we have to look for new models for effective functioning, timely corrections and self-supporting planning and research systems by using all-inclusive development potential.
Lessons of the past
Whether it is socio-economic or any other sector we find, especially with reference to rural areas, the delivery systems have been managed, funded, trained and monitored by highly compartmentalized – thus totally ineffective – “Joint Secretary Syndrome”. The Panchayati Raj institution has now, for the first time, been enjoined upon to ensure convergence. States like Uttar Pradesh have gone one step ahead and tried to pool various rural functionaries into single window service providers. This has been done without increasing any manpower or even budget for effective convergence. By just convergence, one village has now one or two services providers functioning at the village level who attend to 10-12 different departments. Many objections have been raised. But the fact remains that if we want systems to be properly managed and not continuously manipulated, then it is high time to understand the necessity of convergence for efficiency in rural areas. Furthermore, the work level and expertise required at village level is so basic that no specialized service provider is required. Another provision may be that the local Panchayat can hire local expert’s services if justified. These will definitely lead to real Gram Swaraj if the following policy issues are observed:
1. Training after holistic principles, i.e. all-including
2. Shift from charity and donations to sound, commercially viable, non-exploitative, sustainable enterprises.
3. Self-employment and rural investment models.
4. Rewards as per performance/merit
5. Local resources utilisation
6. Quality product services and local demand.
7. Clarity on issues like bankability, quality and efficiency of technology.
8. Learning from past combined with Continuous Improvement Processes (CIP concept)
9. Developing clusters of mutually benefiting enterprises – for example rural godowns – and building up local expertise on the principles of global vision and local action (GVALA).
10. Paying attention to Hidden investible Potential Power Organisation (HIPPO), Known Investible Power Potential Organisation (KIPPO) and Threatened Investible Power Potential Organisation (TIPPO) regularly.
11. A lot of harm has been done by neglecting traditional expertise and importance of local servicing at low cost.
12. The role of local leaders developed in the past decades must shift from grants to business or from greed/loot to equality. Here policies must play a very decisive role.
13. Hope generating signals or parameters have to be continuously searched. Can one believe that in UP there are thousands of villages where no law and order problems have been reported? Can one believe that no incentive, reward or even a good word has ever been given by anybody? The areas of rewarding good work need to be explored and utilized for motivation and hope-generating.
14. The permanent civil servants and their work culture with reference to convergence of delivery systems in rural areas need to be studied from the grass root angle. By encouraging the State to take up all duties and creation of the cadre of government employees, with their powerful unions, hardly any justice has been done to Low Cost High Impact (LCHI) system development. Even the voluntary organisation system has been infected by this decease.
15. Over-dependency from the State for everything cannot be changed overnight. The existing policies have been such that dependency always paid. Even not returning bank loans is acclaimed but now it is the right time to ensure reversal of this process through suitable policies for transparency. Where are the group rewards or group punishments?
The Role of Panchayats
Panchayati Raj has a very important role to play. Hence, all systems must be organised and geared to make them functional, progressive, analysable and capable of taking all steps of confidence-building in all local residents. Panchayats have been looked upon as the extension of exploitative systems. It is high time that the Panchayat evolves as important partner in constitutional governance at the lowest level and is accepted as such. This means efficient decentralisation, delegations, funding and encouragement to converge with better policy and appropriate training. There is a growing realisation at many levels but the crux of the problem is: how to go about it? For example, when it comes to law & order or policing, are we prepared to encourage those villages, which have crime free record of many decades? Or, if some villages have no record of diseases or bad recovery of loans, are we prepared to encourage them? Same way with reference to unemployment, go-downs, infrastructure, are we prepared to delegate? Can our laws, rules & regulations be changed to make them fully empowered? Isn’t it a fact that nobody wants to share power and authority? Hence, can we now think of making things hot through efficient accountability and responsibility fixation that institution are forced to delegate and share with panchayats not only resources but also accountability. Can good performing rural institutions of community, of village or of group be encouraged to resort to self-help? Can the funding system be so developed that performance is encouraged and no-performance is punished? How do we look into issues of learning to working together with transparency, bankability, viability and right attitude tuning in? The system of transfer of knowledge or systems where ashram vyavastha (system) was ensuring continuity of training, research, irrespective of caste and creed needs to be examined. Can there be volunteers as teachers so that the missing linkages of personality development, decision making capacity, continuous upgradation of abilities to visualize challenges and develop systems for uninterrupted upgradation and transfer of knowledge in all walks of life is possible? These questions have to be looked into today as a part to convergence of delivery systems in rural areas.
Self-employment – Rural investment and efficient delivery systems with cost efficiency
The emphasis of State-led extension, godowns, infrastructure, training, marketing, production and many other areas have made people totally dependent on the state. One feels that the whole confidence and capacity of self-employment has withered away. Obviously, since all these have happened, then the policies of the State whether of policing, funding, rewarding, punishing etc., should be put in the foreground.
In many more progressive and developing States the dependency syndrome exclusively on government has been reduced. Many companies as a part of aggressive marketing have trained their dealers and stockists to also provide low cost practical consultancies. This cadres of LCPCs have not only close proximity to the target group but is also always willing to learn and experiment with new developments in their respective fields. Local agents should be trained on these lines because the LCPCs only propagate the interests of their respective – non-local, urban-based companies.
The following are important fields where the potential of self- employment and rural investment (SERI) needs to be suitably encouraged through policy support.
• Animal husbandry and related fields.
• Agriculture and related fields. (value-adding activities)
• Organic farming (ecology-based enterprises)
• Environment protection-related issues (Renewable energies, Waste to Wealth, Biomass plants, recycling)
• Information technology
• Health issues (extended Primary Health centres, sports, nutrition, hygienie, Swachh Bharat…)
• Training, research and extension
• Insurance and project making
• Marketing and infrastructure provisions (eradication of middle-men system through IT)
• Minor irrigation and construction
• Maintenance
• Organic housing
• Many more areas of potential development where global vision and local action (GVALA) becomes viable.
Role of Training, Research for Action and Documentation
While lessons of the past help us in developing plans of action for the future, the areas of action in social, economic, education, health, or any other field for that matter make it imperative that the training aspect is not neglected. It is a fact that this aspect has not received the attention it would require. Maybe the systems have been encouraging exploitative, manipulative, organized and unionized activities in usurping the legitimate dues of the unorganized, the dispersed and even the traditional self-employed. Without questioning the unjust advantages of the Reservation system, the new directions and methods for participation and control of delivery systems for the rural population make it imperative that the Reservation system is to be abolished so that sustainable development can take place. We cannot afford to stay mired in conditions which are barriers to development in continuously making the same mistakes.
Bottlenecks and prescriptions for inducing change
Once we understand the nature of target groups, lessons of past, compulsions of politicians, etc., then it should not be very difficult to identify the bottlenecks which will come into any process of change induction. The potent change agents will always have open discussions, flexibility, cost efficiency and inclusive approach in any change prescriptions. Let us identify the favourable aspects, which will help facilitate or even compel this change. Among them, the dwindling resources of the State, poor work culture, lack of confidence in State and the overall attitude are all forcing to accept change. At the same time, bottlenecks coming from non-performers, from poor accountability, lack of marketing culture, dependency on the State, indifference to unorganized sector, ignorance, etc. are the factors to be kept in mind. The vested interests, organized voters and lobbying may be another area which will act as bottlenecks.
The potential of the unorganized or dispersed or decentralized can be strengthened with active involvement of Panchayat Raj movement. The women, the self-employed, the unorganized, etc., as and when they realize their hidden potential, there will be no stopping them. It is here the information technology in the right perspective and context has to play a very important role. The administrative system which is otherwise accountable only to a few if at all, indirectly becomes self-accountable. The participation of the poor through their own organisations and associations in the management and convergence of hitherto neglected areas can be efficiently tapped. It is here again that the role of voluntary agencies, retired people, para- professionals and other community compulsions can be efficiently mobilised and galvanised to make the delivery systems efficient and self-supporting. Every generation has to find itself what is best for the country. Hence, no amount of traditional systems should remain unquestioned. While on the one hand critical examination of traditional systems has to be a scientific and rational process, simultaneously effort must be on to look for relatively cost effective, localised, self-sustainable systems for convergence of delivery systems in rural areas. All departments and institutions must examine zero based budget potentials. Ruthless pruning, decentralisation and better systems management is a must. People have to be empowered to take responsibility and suitable systems development for that empowerment is a must.
Points to Ponder for Action
When it comes to reflection in the right context of past, present. and future it is felt that rural areas have not received attention they deserve. It is not the question of money or programmes only but the whole attitude, policies, technology and systems whereby they get empowered. Since many of the programmes are now becoming market-oriented and opening up of economy predicts reduction in grants and self-dependency, the profit element becomes a motivating propellant. It is here the risk areas of competition, competency, skills, constant lookout for emerging opportunities etc. become important. These tasks cannot be left to government or grant-based NGOs or even to insensitized functionaries. It is here the robust networking and constantly searching for new investment opportunities, innovative local resource optimization and full employment potentials have to be put in action. The thrust areas of “back to basics”, excellence in operation, respect for innovation, synergizing of all strengths in organisations, mindset for co-operation and constant search for competitive, compatible areas of action with preference to socially neglected groups etc. becomes very important. The unleashing of hidden potentials and energy of people with dynamism require some demonstrable models. Areas which are not glamourised, less glamourised and non glamourised whether in posting or transfers need to be documented. The vigilance angle has to shift from preventive to proactive. There are some areas which are constantly bound to be corrupt in present circumstances. Many areas will always be non-attractive. How do we analyse this from the vigilance angle? Can we have voluntary sectors where knowledge and wealth could be shared without charity? Can commerce propel business for all? Can public good and private good be reconciled? Can dormant institutions be revitalised through doses of internal resource generation?
There is a saying that “When the going gets rough – the toughs ger going” Probably time has come when toughs will have to get going by realising the tough and challenging time of tomorrow. The brain storming at every level is required to identify processes of change. The secrecy and delay, ignorance and insensitivity will all be got over as implementable ideas get on the ground. From talking to acting thinking to implementing, dying to living, unnatural to natural, shifting processes are bound to come. Here, the continuous process of rewarding those who are managing sustainable change even in these days need to be analysed. There are no soft options. Let us get ready. Let us provide enabling environment so that the future generations do not get a reason for blaming us. Convergence and capacity with confidence-building is a process which will change the whole setup.
Time and tide waits for none. India is very fortunate country where the traditional and modernity can be blended. The element of DADI (Dwindling Accepted Down Investment) are still very much to be seen and felt. The low-cost – high-impact traditional practitioners of various conversable programmes, when properly involved, can definitely achieve a high quality of life. The simple people, the simple solutions, simple technologies are to be involved with simple policies in the convergence of delivery systems. In the process of convergence, priority must be given to the following factors:
• Internal resource generation
• Population control
• Basic education
• Self-employment
• Value addition of rural raw material and local storage
• Law & order: crime-free village or no litigation or no FIR
• Recognition of sportspeople and artists
• Involvement of senior citizens
• Environmental factors, like social afforestation, renewable energies, water preservation, organic production, Swachh Bharat, etc.
• Utilisation of surplus land.
Conclusion
The convergence of delivery systems in rural areas is a must and requires initiative also from very high level to understand fully the issues in planning action, research, codification, extension and loaning (PARCEL). Needless to say, many of our originally good programmes have failed miserably in the past because of lack of transparency. This means, everybody from top to bottom has to be fully involved in the PARCEL process so that the speed is not lost due to lack of transparency. Hence, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, civil servants, retired people and panchayat raj officials, bankers, chartered accountants, insurance companies, have to be immediately brought on a common platform to work out modalities of learning to work together for a mutual win-win. The role of appropriate quality training is very important in facilitating all these at the earliest.