The jugalbandi at New York’s Madison Square Garden between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NRIs and others of Indian origin settled in America set the place on fire. Mr Modi showed his gratitude to the Indian American community for their support during the recent general election by removing some irritants for NRIs as well as PIOs and Overseas Citizens of India by giving them lifelong visas and scrapping the requirement for them to visit police stations, etc. Many in the euphoria of the moment declared that they were even prepared to return home to help Mr Modi to fulfil his dream of a new India.
But the morning after, it was a different story. Many told friends in India that they would definitely return, but only if they see Mr Modi’s promises to cut red tape and corruption fructify at the ground level. They would like to see how their children can enter good schools or how they can even buy a flat when property prices are going through the roof. There is no doubt that overseas Indians can do an enormous lot to take India forward, specially in research and development, finance, education, health, sanitation, etc. And they do want to help. There are three million Indians in the US; and a significant number dominate startups in Silicon Valley.
Mr Modi asked his 18,000-strong audience at MSG to trust him when he says he will bring change in India. But unfortunately, he alone can do little, and must depend on the machinery available to deliver on promises to get rid of and make it easier to do business, to skill India’s demographic dividend, besides boosting education and healthcare system. Land reform is still a contentious matter, so is labour reform.
The bottomline is that nearly four and a half months into the Modi government, the ground realities haven’t changed all that much. You still need political clout to get a project cleared. Starting a business for young and budding entrepreneurs remains a nightmare of myriad forms and clearances and visits to officials.
Mr Modi promises minimum government and maximum governance. As he says, he has got bureaucrats to come to work on time, which is fine, but what about them getting the work done? This can’t be done simply by catchy slogans or good intentions.
There has to be a system of accountability, for instance, like a strong monitoring team in every ministry or department at the Centre, states and local bodies that interface with citizens which will take up citizens’ complaints if files are not cleared within a specified time. Mr Modi has said that he will eliminate one old, archaic law a day, but when will that day dawn?
