The new way

Through the presidents address to Parliament this month,UPA-II committed itself to a more user-centric approach to governance. The admission is that the governments big-ticket schemes like the rural job guarantee,Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and food security schemes require the unclogging of public delivery. And key to unlocking the public delivery system is the much-proposed national identification card. The appointment of Nandan Nilekani to chair the Unique ID Authority of India thus signals seriousness and movement. But his induction also holds the promise of reforming the way government harnesses talent.

The modalities of the appointment are instructive. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has placed Nilekani four-square within the structures of government. The ID authority will function under the aegis of the Planning Commission and Nilekani will have the rank of cabinet minister. This is a clear break from established ways of getting external expertise,beyond the talent pool of civil servants and politicians,into government as advisers,consultants,heads of committees. Governments elsewhere too struggle to make administration more modern and responsive and to reverse their isolation from talent outside,especially in the private sector. But opening up government to this talent without has been an especially acute problem in India. And it has less to do with considerations of salary and perks,than with a pointlessly strong marking of turf.

Nilekani marks a perfect break. When the IT revolution started,its measure was taken by the corporate growth it rapidly brought. As the first IT generation steps back,we are now seeing the growth in public talent that it also produced,and this is a pool of talent that can be harnessed outside of corporate and NGO spaces. Nilekani has played by the book,he has resigned from the Infosys board and undone any conflicts of interest. Most importantly,his remit has been marked in a clearly non-political manner. The template created could be so much healthier and more productive than the current way of businessmen getting into public life by gaining enough political support to enter Rajya Sabha. Business has rightly complained of the huge distance between Mumbai and Delhi this movement between Bangalore and Delhi will be instructive. India needs more such cross-fertilisation of talent. A good next case could be water resources. For now,this opening up of government must be applauded.