Get cracking to business

Whether one likes it or not, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the architect of BJP's singular renaissance has become a role model for both the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh who are struggling to put up a public show that even as they implement the populist poll promises. They are hardcore champions of all round economic development

In more ways than one, both the Chief Ministers need to taken a leaf or two from Narender Modi’s book of good performance.

Perhaps they may have to get some clue from Narendrabhai’s recent initiative, Jan Dhan, where populism is cleverly twined with the economic activity thus a comprehensive balanced growth can be achieved besides giving a mass appeal.
As Modi completes his 100 days in his hot-seat, the ‘tea boy from the gullies of Ahmedabad’ has finally shown the world, ‘good economics need not be bad politics’ and ‘it may be even good also’.

“I come from Gujarat where business and trade is in our blood” Modi says at an event in Japan in order to convince the Japanese business leaders that their investment in India is well protected and secured. This has proved him as a ‘go-getter’.

This is what the people of AP and TS want to do, as both the chief minister are eyeing foreign investment. At least, they can take a few tips from Prime Minister’s innovative bag, says an industrialist, who want to be anonymous.

Let us look at five areas where Modi proved smart:

• Modi’s gain has turned as a predicament of Telangana and AP chief ministers, who anticipated that BJP will fall in line in terms of poll promises and finance gizmos. Both these leaders have made - loan waiver and health scheme - as part of poll promises, but Modi warned his men before poll not to indulge, according to sources in BJP, and hold back some of the impossible promises. That suggestion now saved the party in both the states as Reserve Bank took a hard view on loan waiver.

• Modi knows how to use social media with the spontaneity and wit. Having active with twitter and facebook accounts, Modi used them as avenues to act quickly on issues like tragedies or controversies. There is no doubt his social media usage get him to reach the next generation. On this count, both the chief ministers are lag behind and almost nonexistent on these theaters. Today the youth are looking more economic aspects and not showing much interest on the issues of political combat. For instance, when a Singapore journalist tried to know about KCR’s background, he get nothing, but on Telangana movement, he quipped with the local reporter, it scares the global investors.

• Evolving the schemes is yet another ability of Modi, which offers mass appeal and will have clear financial implications. In a banker’s opinion, the recently announced Jan Dhan, a scheme aimed to bring rural poor not only into the banking network but also insurance and facilitating delivery of welfare schemes in a fool proof manner, is best rural empowerment scheme ever seen so far from the days of Indira Gandhi. It has the combination of job mela, loan mela and political mela, offers all social welfare sops without lacunas of corruption, red-tape or middlemen. Of course, even Telangana and AP government have welfare schemes and they now have to fallow in taking Jan Dhan route to dispensing benefits of their schemes. As per some estimates, the UPAs loan waiver benefits have reached hardly to 23 per cent of genuine people and about 16 per cent of the funds are pilfered and unaccounted, even in the case of free power also over 43 per cent of benefits are misused and about 35 per cent of beneficiaries are not eligible to have free power.
  

• He is fond of making friendship, a big quality of a human being, which both the chief ministers shown lacking. For instance, in one stroke he built friendly environment in the sub-continent by inviting chiefs of SAARC countries to his swearing-in cermony. But he knows his priorities, Modi ordered stoppage of talks when Pakistan has resumed firing. He gives full liberty to bureaucracy including CBI and Judiciary but introduces reforms seriously into the system. Even dared to push through bills - insurance and FDI in retail in parliament - though he knew about hurdles and road blocks.

• Lastly but not least, Modi has shown the world that he is tough task master. He gave the ministers and bureaucrats an agenda and insisted that compliance is a must. Even the hardcore had to fall in line with the economic and political agenda. He asked ministers to leave their parties at home when they come to office. His sole agenda is to better the performance and evaluators say he did show results in 100 days in office.The litmus test would be: the Industry heads are happy about cut in delays and decisions are being conveyed to them online.
  All said and done, Modi did nothing big to achieve this. But he fixed the work agenda of his officers and tried removing hurdles on their way. Even both Chandrababu Naidu and Chandrasekhar Rao can do this, as they have no opposition to challenge them. But they need to have comprehension of tasks ahead, says an analyst. So the writing on the wall is clear. Both Chandrababu Naidu and Chandrasekhar Rao should wake up now from their political slumber to refocus on economy, administration and development.