Stories from the grassroots | Thoughts on development | Lessons on leadership
‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ – one must have heard this call for action several times over the last few years. When I interact with Civil servants and citizens, I find that each one has a perspective on what it means. Most of them relate it to economic independence, self-reliance or producing goods and services within India.… Continue reading
January 12, 2023 is the 160th Jayanthi celebrations of Swami Vivekananda. The whole country celebrates this event as the National Youth day. What does the Youth day signify in a country with one of the youngest populations in the world. More than 50% of our people are less than 20 years. … Continue reading
A lot of people keep asking me about the last one year that I have spent working in the Government as an insider. From being a person outside the system constantly interacting with it and seeking their support for ensuring human development at the grassroots, friends including myself are surprised on how my journey has brought me here.… Continue reading
There is so much interest amongst the younger generation in India for public policy. I have been involved in running workshops and teaching seminars across the country for more than a decade now and i find the interest only increasing. Prestigious schools like IIMs, National Law Schools and IITs too have joined this club and it augurs well to learn of the setting up of several policy schools across the country. … Continue reading
“Corruption has been blamed for many of the challenges India as a nation faces today, and rightly so. Corruption in public offices has reached a level where most people believe and indulge in it as if that is the norm.… Continue reading
A few weeks ago, a friend called to inquire about a US University to which his son had secured admission. He was concerned as this particular university did not figure in the top 100 Universities on the QS rankings. He was worried whether spending so much money on his son’s higher education was worth it and what exactly the significance of the QS rankings was? … Continue reading
An elderly person met me recently and wanted to know some details about the ongoing COVID vaccination program. He was keen on understanding whether it would be better to get the shot at the government hospital are at a private hospital nearby.… Continue reading
Recently, one saw a mockery of the statement ‘first amongst equals’ in the state of Karnataka. Constitutionally, the head of government is the chief minister at the state level while the Prime Minister is at the national level.… Continue reading
The last couple of weeks has seen discussions around the vaccine for COVID and whether they are safe and effective. While each person is entitled to his/her own view, it can indeed be confusing listening to the several experts and political commentators about this issue. … Continue reading
Early last week, I was invited to a one-to-one meeting with Ms Nirmala Sitharaman ji, the Union Finance minister to share inputs on the forthcoming budget. She was keen on understanding the fiscal policy aspirations of the NGO sector and other insights into how best to grow the rural economy.… Continue reading
The inequities that India’s caste system has created has been attempted to be stalled or reversed through the constitutional mandate of Affirmative action. Increasingly, one has forgotten the basic tenet of ensuring justice and fairness to all citizens and the sociopolitical eco-system has only been exploiting the sentiments of religion and caste.… Continue reading
A few months ago, Ms Sneha (name changed) had been to the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) branch office near her home to pay the house tax. She was aware that she was eligible for a 5% discount if she paid the taxes due for the current year before the 31st of May. … Continue reading
The recent Diwali festival saw the government of Karnataka vacillate between wanting to ban firecrackers and not wanting to ban it. Chief Minister Yeddyurappa initially announced that his government was considering a ban but went back on this a few days later.… Continue reading
My first brush with being made to feel like a South Indian and distinctly different from the person in front of me is something that is strongly etched into my memory now. My father had insisted that all his children learn three languages at school – Kannada, the language of my state of Karnataka, English and Hindi (which he felt was our National language). … Continue reading