It will be a pipedream to expect that things will improve by themselves, or that the political class will see wisdom in reform. As we have seen countless times, no group in India has ever shown the ability to maintain high standards through self-reform; additionally, the political class see themselves as totally free, without any restraint.
Can the bureaucracy apply pressure for reforms? This is a laughable thought in the present context. The business community is irrelevant to the debate on this point. The media, as we have seen, is interested in conflict and in 'news' – they have no real interest in reforms. The judiciary indeed has the ability to force reforms. It is however, highly unlikely that they will bestir themselves in this regard. In the first place, the judiciary, by training and temperament will be unwilling and unable to take up a major campaign of this type. However, if they do start the cleaning-up process, they will get enormous public support, from all segments of society.
Unfortunately in India, we have not given ourselves the ability to throw away our current management system and resort to a new one. The people of India are now powerless and do not know which way to turn. It is upto the political executive, indeed the political class, to realise the gravity of the situation, and to take urgent measures for reform in all aspects. Sadly, the political class who bicker among themselves on every issue, coalesce and present a joint unified front only when their perceived self-interest, as a group, is threatened. Tinkering with the system here and there will not help, except marginally. Major change in the way politics is conducted in India is imperative. The means to engineer this is exclusively with the political class. If the reforms do not take place quickly, the likelihood is that they will be imposed on the nation, sooner or later and not necessarily in a pleasant manner.
Finally, could one hope that there will be a new messiah, who will rise from the political class, to deliver the nation? Using all democratic processes to come to power, such a leader, working well within democratic means, could take a huge broom to clean up the system, usher in development and take the country on to a new path. Once a person like this emerges, the whole country will rise up to support him; the era of coalitions at the Centre would end – the country then will be on its way to reach its tryst with destiny. Not too far long back, a man called Mahatma Gandhi indeed lived in India – and achieved miracles!
LIST OF ACRONYMS
ADB Asian Development Bank (in the Philippines)
APP Assistant Public Prosecutor
ASSOCHAM Associated Chamber of Commerce (trade body)
ATL Auto Tractors Limited
BAIF Bharat Agro Industrial Foundation
BDO Block Development Officer
BHEL Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (a PSU for boilers etc. in thermal power)
BIFR Bureau of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction
BPL Below Poverty Line
CAG Controller and Auditor General of India
CBI Central Bureau of Investigation
CCI Competition Commission of India
CCPA Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
CEC Chief Election Commissioner/Commission
CEO Chief Executive Officer
CERC Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
CFO Chief Finance Officer (in a corporation)
CID Criminal Investigation Department
CII Confederation of Indian Industries (trade body)
CMO Chief Minister’s Office
CNRI Confederation of NGOs of Rural India
CSR Corporate Social Responsibility
CVC Central Vigilance Commissioner/Commission
DG Director General (of Police, highest police officer in State)
DGTD Directorate General of Technical Development (GoI, now abolished)
DIG Deputy Inspector General (of Police in the State Government)
DMs District Magistrates
EPI Engineering Projects India (a PSU for civil projects abroad)
EU European Union
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation (of US)
FDI Foreign Direct Investment
FICCI Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (trade body)
FIR First Information Report
GAIL Gas Authority of India Limited
GoI Government of India
HDI Human Development Index
HMT Hindustan Machine Tools (light engineering sector)
IA&AS Indian Audit and Accounts Service (an All-India Service)
IAS Indian Administrative Service
ICS Indian Civil Service (Predecessor Service to IAS from British Days)
IDC Industrial Development Corporation (of State Government)
IFS Indian Foreign Service; also Indian Forest Service, both All-India Services
IG Inspector General (of Police, State Government)
IIM Indian Institute of Management
IIT Indian Institute of Technology
IOC Indian Oil Corporation
IP Imperial Police (Predecessor Service to IPS from British Days)
IPC Indian Penal Code
IPS Indian Police Service
IRS Indian Revenue Service (an All-India Service)
IT Information Technology
JMM Jharkhand Mukti Morcha
JPC Joint Plant Committee (to coordinate steel prices)
JS Joint Secretary (Government of India)
MD Managing Director
MLA Member of Legislative Assembly
MMTC Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation
MNC Multi National Corporation
MP Member of Parliament
MPLADS Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme
MRTPC Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission
MW Mega Watt
NCR National Capital Region
NDTV New Delhi Television
NGO Non-Governmental Organisation
NIFT National Institute of Fashion Technology
NJMC National Jute Mills Corporation
NREGS National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
NSG National Security Guard
NTC National Textile Corporation
NTPC National Thermal Power Corporation
ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Commission
PESB Public Enterprises Selection Board
PLF Plant Load Factor (in the power sector)
PMO Prime Minister’s Office
PP Public Prosecutor
PSU Public Sector Undertaking
PWD Public Works Division
RTI Right to Information
SDM Sub Divisional Magistrate
SEBI Securities Exchange Board of India
SICOM State Industrial Corporation of Maharashtra
SIDC State Industrial Development Corporation or Small Industries Development Corporation (of State Governments)
SPs Superintendents of Police
STC State Trading Corporation
TOEFL Test of English as Foreign Language (for entrance to US institutions)
TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
UK United Kingdom
UP Uttar Pradesh
UPSC Union Public Service Commission
US United States
USA United States of America
VIP Very Important Person
VRS Voluntary Retirement Scheme
VSNL Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited
INDEX
Adjournments
Administration standards, decline in
>
Administrative reforms
Advocates Act
agro-industrial corporations
Ahluwalia, Montek Singh
Ahmad, Fakhruddin Ali
AIR/Doordarshan, breakup of monopoly of
Al Capone, Gangster
All India Civil Services Rules
Alva, Margaret
American Education Aids
Anna Nagar Times
Ansari, Hamid
Anti-corruption campaign
Appleby Committee
Architectural conception of Lutyens
Area Development Corporations
Article 356 of the Constitution
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
ASSOCHAM
Auto Tractors Limited (ATL)
Avadi Resolution of the Congress party
Bar Council
Beating the Retreat
Below-poverty-line
Benami transactions
Bhakra Nangal
Bhandari, Romesh
Bharat Agro Industrial Foundation (BAIF)
Bharat darshan tour
BHEL
Black money
BMW case
Bofors case
Booth-capturing
Boot-licking
BPL families
Breaking News
Bribes
British India Company
British parliamentary democracy
British raj
Bureau of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR)
Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA)
CAPART
Car registration, management of
Cash for parliamentary questions scam
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)
Central Planning Authority
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)
Checks and balances, principle of
Chief election commissioner (CEC)
CII
Civil Servant as a Spectator
Clinton, Hillary
Coalition politics
Code of conduct
Collective responsibility, principle of
Colonel Sleemans
Commissions of inquiry
Committed bureaucracy, concept of
Common Cause
Compensation Commission
Competition Commission of India (CCI)
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI)
Confessional statement
42nd Constitutional Amendment of 1976
Corporate culture
Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
Corruption
Court's orders, violation of
Crafts Museum
Creamy layer
Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
'Cross fire', and 'big fight'
Crisis management
'Cushion'
CVC Act
Cyber crimes
Damodar Valley dams
Delhi Police Establishment Act
Desai, Morarji,
Dharma Vira Commission
Dhoni, M.S.
Diesel and electric locomotion
Dikshit, Uma Shankar
Directive principles
Disinvestment of the Year
District administration, focus on
Divisional Development Corporation
Dixit, Shiela
Double-digit growth
Downsizing government
E-governance
Election Commission (EC)
Emergency in mid-'70s
Enforcement directorate
Engineering Projects of India (EPI)
Enterprising bureaucrats
Export promotion councils
'Fair trial' or 'due process'
Fake sadhus and sanyasis
'Fast track court'
FBI
Federal Public Service Commission
Feudal society
FICCI
Financial emergency
First Information Report (FIR)
First War of Independence
Five Year Plans
Food Corporation of India
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Foster, Hannah
Free-market system
GAIL
Gandhi, Indira
Gandhi, Mahatma
Gandhi, Rajiv
Gated colonies
GMAT
Godbole, Madhav
Goenka, Ramnath
Govinda
Gowda, Deve
GRE
Great Depression in 2008
Gujral, I.K.
Gun-fight fashion
Half-naked fakir
Hawala transaction
Heller, Joseph
High profile cases
Hire-and-fire
History sheeters
HMT
Holy-man syndrome
Hota Committee
House of Lords
Human Development Index (HDI)
Hussain, Zakir
Hydro-electric project
IAS training academy, Mussoorie
IDBI
Imitation syndrome
'India shining', myth of
Indian Administrative Service
Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS)
Indian Civil Services (ICS)
Indian Express
Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
Indian Institutes of Management
Indian Institutes of Technology
Indian Penal Code (IPC)
Indian railways
Industrial estates, creation of
Industrial licencing policy
Inflation
Inheritance in politics, principle of
Inspector raj
International league on corruption
IOC
Iyengar, Anantasayanam
Jayalalitha
Jessica Lal case
Jha Commission
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) bribery
Justice Delayed is Justice Denied
Kaif, Katrina
Kalam, A.P.J. Abdul
Kalyan Singh government, dismissal of
Kamaraj, K.
Karunanidhi
Khan, Shahrukh
Khel-kood department
Khurshid, Salman
Kohli, Maninder Pal Singh
Kulkarni, Sanjeev
Lal, K.B.
Land-related litigation
Largest genocide in history
Leather Development Council
Liberhan Commission, 43rd extension
Licence-permit raj
Lok Adalat
Lok Pal Bill
Lok Sabha (Lower House)
Lord Mountbatten
Macaulay
Mackenzie
Malini, Hema
Malnutrition deaths
Mandal decision
MARCOS, 108 See also NSG
Mavlankar, G.V.
Mayawati
Mehta, Pratap Bhanu
Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS)
Milk development programme
Mini-mafia
Minimum national development standards
Minimum public health standards
Mishra, L.N.
Mixed economy
MMTC
Mody, Piloo
Moily, M. Veerapa
Money-Bill
Monopolies and Restrictive Trades Practices Commission (MRTPC)
Moral and ethical codes
Mughal period
Mukherjee, Pranab
Mumbai terror attacks
Narain, Raj
Narayanan, K.R.
National Environment Appellate Tribunal (NEAT)
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
National Jute Mills Corporation (NJMC)
National Museum
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS)
National security adviser (NSA)
National Security Guard (NSG)
National Textile Corporation (NTC)
Navratanas, concept of
Naxalites
NDTV sting operation
Nehru,
Nehru, Jawaharlal
Nehruvian socialism
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
Non-partisan umpires
Nuclear deal
Office of profit
Official Secrets Act
Oil-blocks
Ombudsman
ONGC
Open and shut cases
Opinion poll
Panchayati Raj
Pant, Govind Ballabh
Parallel economy
Patel, Manibhai
Patel, Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patil, Pratibha
Patil, Shivraj
Planning Commission
Police Commission
Police reforms
Political-criminal nexus
Political gunda
Powergrid Corporation
Powerlooms, arrival of
Prasad, Dr Rajendra
Pre-trial prosecution phases
Profile of a Policeman
Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
Public Service Law
Question hour
Goverment In India Page 27
