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Journalism of Courage
The provision of public facilities is,primarily,done by state governments. It is not just the bread-and-butter of governance: policing,roads,land laws. Welfare-scheme and accountability innovations also emerge at the state level. And state implementation is essential to the success of even the schemes conceptualised and pushed through at the Centre,such as,for example,the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the National Rural Health Mission.
Naturally,therefore,some states learn from each other. Madhya Pradesh learnt from Bihars new anti-corruption law,just as Bihar learnt from MPs law guaranteeing timely access to public services. Gujarat learnt from Andhra Pradeshs experience on financial inclusion,while everyone wants to learn from Chhattisgarh,the only state that somehow seems to have made Indias creaking public distribution system work. As conversation about policy spreads across our politics,this is a development that can only be welcomed. Yet,there exists absolutely no institutional mechanism by which these ideas can be monitored,shared and exchanged. It depends on political and bureaucratic initiative: a chance presentation at a conference in Delhi,a secretary in a state government surfing another states website. That is hardly a sustainable or an efficient way to promote the spread of innovation.
For that,the lead must come from the Centre,especially given the proposed expansion of entitlement schemes.
