Broadly speaking, there are mainly four fundamental issues which need to be kept in view for purposes of formulating the agenda for governance, in the present context, in any of the states of Indian Union. These are good governance; development; reforms (administrative, economic, social & cultural), and resource mobilisation.
Good Governance:- The important elements of good governance are: a) performance & merit based work culture; b) transparency/openness/public accessibility; c) objectivity & judiciousness in enforcement of laws/rules/regulations/procedures; e) effectiveness & efficiency; f) public grievances redressal mechanism; g) accountability, and; h) mechanism for monitoring & evaluation.
Development:- Main areas for development are: a) strengthening (vocational oriented) educational infrastructure; b) strengthening health infrastructure; c) strengthening drinking water/irrigation infrastructure; d) strengthening transport (roads, rails, aviation and waterways) infrastructure; e) improvement of civic amenities; f) promoting renewable energy sources (solar/wind); g) strengthening agro-processing infrastructure, and; h) requisite interventions to resolve man-animal conflicts.
Reforms:- The issues for reforms generally overlap the elements of good governance, especially in the area of administrative reforms, as would be clearly evident from the following:
A. Administrative Reforms
a) Simplification of procedures
b) Reviewing rules
c) Transparency mechanism (computerisation/e-governance)
d) Accountability mechanism (well defined responsibility & authority)
e) Effective monitoring & evaluation mechanism (3-tier structure, having implementation, supervision and direction levels with scrupulous reporting system, periodical review system and quick corrective system in place)
f) Delegation & decentralisation (institutional-Panchayati Raj- individual levels)
g) Strengthening reliable data base
h) System of rewards (for merit & performance) and penalty (for non-performers & the delinquents)
B. Social & Cultural Reforms
a) Elimination of untouchability (through education, extension and opinion building)
b) Elimination of malnutrition (diet education, promoting ethnic foods)
c) Elimination of child marriage practice (through education & extension)
d) Promoting family welfare (incentive for small family & girl child)
e) Strengthening family institution & values (through education & extension)
f) Promoting local culture & heritage
g) Promoting local art, craft, folklores and folksongs
h) Promoting hygiene & cleanliness (personal, familial and habitational) (through a 3-pronged approach of providing governmental support, local-specific incentives and the NGO initiative)
C. Economic Reforms
a) Promoting food processing industries
b) Sustainable exploitation of minerals
c) Tapping hydle power potential
d) Promoting herbal-based industries
e) Promoting eco-tourism (improving infrastructure)
f) Promoting land productivity, appropriate cropping, proper agro-horticultural practices and agro-waste utilisation to get optimum return from farm-based activities
g) Improving the working of Public Sector Companies to make them revenue-yielding rather than revenue-eating
h) Rationalising governmental expenditure
Resource Mobilisation:- The major areas of attention in this regard are as under:
a) Strict Tax Compliance:- The current level of revenue on account of sales/excise tax can be increased by eliminating leakages through strict supervision/IT application/simplifying collection mode/prohibitive penality imposition;
b) Hydle Power Sales:- The immense potential of hydle power generation needs to be exploited at the earliest to substantially enhance the revenue;
c) Levying Green Cess (more relevant for hilly states):- Imposition of a nominal ?Green Cess? on the industrial units in the State would not cause any pinch while the total annual collection could enhance substantially;
d) Complying with the Provisions of FRBM Act:- Containing the state financial deficit within the limits prescribed under the Central Financial Responsibility & Budget Management Act would get enhanced central grants quite significantly;
e) Power Sector Reforms:- Complying with the Central Government directions regarding power sector reforms would enable the State Government get additional financial grants;
f) Small sized projects under Central Sector Schemes:- There is tremendous scope to seek funding under central sector schemes being controlled by various central ministries by posing small sized project proposals to get additional allocations;
g) Food Processing Industries:- The criticality of this activity is not only from the point of view of improving the value addition & preventing wastages but it will also enable the State Government in realising several crores by way of taxes/cess;
h) Herbal Based Industries:- Development of herbal based industries would not only enable exploitation of the tremendous potential lying dormant in the state but will get substantial revenue to the exchequer;
i) Reducing Unproductive Expenditure:- Economic reforms/public sector reforms/administrative reforms/rationalisation measures would result in substantial savings to the State exchequer.
(The writer is a retired IFS and former Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Government of India.)
