Arrow of responsibility
Behind every successful government program that works there is a single bureaucrat - be it Delhi Metro, Mumbai Metro, Space program, Election fairness, Amul, etc. The key factor is RESPONSIBILITY!
What is common in the great work done by bureaucrats like E Sreedharan, who built the Delhi Metro, Ashwini Bhide, who is building the Mumbai Metro, Vikram Sarabhai, who led the Indian Space program, T. N. Seshan, who brought in election transparency, and even Dr. V. Kurien, who built Amul into a megacorporation? What differentiates these great achievements from all the red tape we encounter in our daily lives? The key is responsibility. Let me explain.
But first, let me tell you a story!
The Tale of the Well and the Honest Worker
Once upon a time, in a prosperous kingdom in ancient India, there lived a wise and just King. One year, a great drought struck the land, causing rivers to dry up and crops to wither. The people of a small village, desperate for water, sought the King’s help. They approached the royal court and humbly requested a well to be dug to save their village.
The King, known for his generosity, called upon his minister. "See to it that this well is built for the villagers," commanded the King. The minister, wanting to appear efficient, passed the responsibility to the village chief. The chief, in turn, instructed the village officers, and finally, the task fell upon a humble worker.
The worker, with no choice but to follow the orders of his superiors, labored tirelessly under the scorching sun. He worked day and night, digging deep into the earth, and after many months of sweat and toil, the well was completed. The village rejoiced as cool, fresh water flowed from the well.
In their gratitude, the villagers invited the King to witness the well. The King arrived with his court, standing before the well as the villagers gathered around in awe.
The minister, eager to take credit, spoke first. “O King, it is due to my timely decisions and planning that this well has come into existence. Without my coordination, this would have never been possible.”
The village chief chimed in, “Indeed, Your Majesty, but it was my leadership and management that ensured the workers did their part. The success of the well is surely mine to claim.”
Not wanting to be left behind, the village officers added, “Without our efforts in providing materials and overseeing the daily progress, the well would never have been completed.”
The King, wise and thoughtful, examined the well in silence. After a few moments, he frowned. "This well is poorly made," he said sternly. "I must know who is responsible for this work."
The minister, seeking to absolve himself, pointed to the village chief. "Your Majesty, it is the chief who oversaw the work. He should answer for this."
The village chief, in turn, pointed to the village officers. "It was the officers who provided the materials and made sure everything was done. They should be held accountable."
The officers, panicking, shifted the blame to the worker. "The fault is his, Your Majesty. He is the one who dug the well. Any flaws must surely be his."
The worker was summoned before the King. Trembling, but honest, he bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I alone dug this well with my own hands. I worked for six long months, doing the best I could with the tools and materials provided to me.”
The King’s stern face softened. “Though others claimed the credit for your work, they were quick to blame you when fault was found. You, however, took responsibility with honesty. In truth, this well is well-made, and the villagers are fortunate to have it.”
With that, the King turned to the court and declared, “It is the worker, who toiled in the heat of the sun, who deserves the reward.” The King handed the worker a pouch containing 100 gold coins, and the court was silent in awe.
Moral: True responsibility lies with those who do the work, not those who seek the credit. Honest labor will always be rewarded in the end.
How to Create Accountability.
Responsibility, authority & support to the right people = accountability!
If you find qualified people, give them responsibility and authority, and occasionally support and encourage them, you will get magical results.
We need a clear arrow of responsibility to point to ONE single person - and s/he cannot be Modi. That person cannot be responsible for everything under the sun. S/he needs to be responsible for that ONE goal.
We will not succeed always. But with responsibility pointing directly to ONE person, we will surely try hard.
If you want to win, you need a captain. Like the cricket team has a captain. Yes, there is a committee to help the captain, but the arrow of responsibility points to the captain.
Conversely, if you see programs where there is no accountability, you will not see dramatic progress. That does not mean things don’t work in this case. It means things work just a tad slower without that extra intent. In some teams, there are people who can get things done. If you do not make them responsible, their energy, enthusiasm, and drive will dissipate and, at times, create a drag.
So, what projects need a captain?
We desperately need captains for the following:
Aircraft engine captain - to create world-beating aircraft engines for Tejas, AMCA, drones and all future aircraft.
Aircraft-making captain - to get us to make world-beating passenger aircraft in India. We should be able to fight Embraer and others on their own turf.
City Captains: In all the cities, we need captains to clear up the cities, decongest them, create block development, and manage city development plans that work for the people.
Cleanliness captains: To drive cleanliness and sanitation across the country.
Education captains: To ensure the schools and colleges are actually qualified (i.e. not on paper but in real life) and whether they are teaching the right things and taking feedback from the students.
Scientific Research and Patent Captain: To ensure the scientific research taking place finds finance and backing, particularly the areas of strategic interests and areas where we can leapfrog the world.
Land Acquisition Captain: We need people to speed up land acquisition in a corruption free manner where those who are losing their lands are getting the true compensation quickly and efficiently.
Demanding accountability
From each of these captains, we can demand a very, very high level of accountability. They will need to disclose all their personal wealth before being appointed. They will be audited and their direct and indirect financial interests will be open to public scrutiny at any time.
You may even ask for requirements that such people will be sanyasis, or those who do not have any children or descendants and that all their wealth will be donated to national treasury after their passing.
Despite the harsh and severe restrictions being imposed on them, I am sure we will find many who can answer the call to serve the nation.
In Sum
If we fix the responsibility, empower these captains, support them, hold them to higher standards and demand performance, we will get it.