The CEO in image trap

While getting an award for CEO of the year by a financial daily is a reflection of the adulation he receives from the industry and foreign investors, hectic efforts are on to ensure thathe doesn’t fall prey to the Gorbachev syndrome. Popular in Delhi and Washington, but rejected at home.

Projects on electronic governance, TV-borne distance education, nurturing a new generation of IT-literate youth, creation of a fibre-optic network in AP which will support voice, data and video communication still receive much of his attention and imagination. (The Cyber Towers at Hi-Tec City was built in a record time of 15 months under pressure from him.)

But Naidu wants to talk about his schemes for rural artisans, women and children. He wants people to realise the importance of Vana Samrakshana Samithies, the Village Education Committees and Chief Minister’s Empowerment of Youth programme.

“I’m fed up with politics. Everybody thinks negative and nobody wants to talk of development,” he laments. “I’m trying to set an example of clean politics based on good governance.” Then with an edge of excitement in his voice he adds, “Do you know that many other CMs have started promoting IT projects? It’sbeing called the Naidu Effect.”

At the World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit, Naidu was toasted by 400 investors from home and abroad. For them, the only real development taking place was in Andhra. The only critical question asked of him was why the Andhra attitude was not spreading through the rest of India, and especially New Delhi.

But even at this forum, Naidu took care not to harp about IT alone. Of the 47 slides which formed his presentation, only five were dedicated to IT industry and IT in administration. The theme of the presentation was in keeping with his new buzzword, Empowerment of People. Apart from detailed information about port, power and road projects, Naidu discussed the Janmaboomi programme with the foreign investors. The slightly surprised investors were treated to specifics of the Year of Cleanliness scheme.

Andhra Pradesh is currently preparing a vision document for itself, an exercise which only corporates indulge in. Not surprisingly it does not mention IT directly.“Our vision of Andhra Pradesh is a state where poverty is totally eradicated; where every man, woman, and child has access to not just the basic minimum needs, but to all the opportunities to lead a happy and fulfilling life; a knowledge and learning society built on the values of hard work, honesty, discipline and a collective sense of purpose,” it reads. Its quite a mouthful but is really a mini-manifesto. The document further aims at an seven-fold increase in per-capita income; 17 to 20 million new jobs; population growth at 0.83. per cent per annum; and rapid shift from agriculture to industry/services.

Naidu is trying hard to convince people that IT is good for them. He is using it as a scythe to cut though the rainforest of red tape and delays.

The electronic governance project was flagged off earlier this month with the land registration department. CARD or computer-aided administration of registration department has reduced registration of land and property transaction from 1-7 days to 15minutes. Other paperwork is being cut down to 10-15 minutes. Computerisation of 212 sub-registrar offices in AP which cover most of the state will affect 40-50 lakh people who are involved in land transactions every year. They will be the first to realise the importance of electronic governance. But the rest of the state may not have the patience to wait the fruits of computerisation of AP.

Fed on politics of Rs 2 per kg of rice, Andhra may take some time to understand the change Naidu is attempting. Naidu is hoping that this does not mean a defeat at assembly polls. “If I succeed, then the nation will benefit. If I fail, the nation will suffer,” he says grimly. “But I don’t know what is going to happen.”