JNU prof flays Gujarat model of governance

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 5

Gujarat is considered as number one state in governance, but it has failed to reduce poverty, increase wages, and provide poor with quality education. It is ranked 11th in the Human Development Index. This was stated by Prof Atul Sood, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Sood was in Chandigarh today to deliver the keynote address during an international conference on ‘Governance for the Margins’ at the Institute for Development and Communication (IDC).

Gurbachan Jagat, former Governor of Manipur and a trustee of The Tribune, was present on the occasion.

Prof Sood said, “Outcomes are so unsatisfactory in Gujarat. They only consider state GDP as an indicator of growth. Despite these facts, why is Gujarat perceived as the number one state in India? Management of dissent is the idea of successful governance model.”

Dr Pramod Kumar, Director IDC, said: “Crisis is not about economy’s slow growth, or that the one-third of the poor in the world are surviving in India, but about the governance which is unable to solve the issues.”

The first session featured Prof Lakhwinder Singh from Punjabi University, Ankur Malhotra from Accenture and Mithlesh Jayas Mukherji, a researcher from Puducherry, spoke on ‘Innovation for Inclusive Governance.”

In the second session, Prof Vijay Khare from Pune and Prof Ronki Ram from Panjab University spoke on the role of civil society and its interaction with the governance.

Prof Debi Chatterjee from Kolkata spoke on the issues of governance and the Dalits.

The session also featured scholars from abroad. Prof Kalinga Tudor Silva from Sri Lanka talked about the ethnicity and nationalism as a framework for articulating insecurities of those at the margins.

Prof Mitsuya Dake from Japan argued for an international climate of peace as being conducive to constructive development and Prof Satoko C Nakane, also from Japan, discussed issues related to the governance and child welfare in India.

Every vote counts 

Dr SY Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, said: "Only people in prisons are not allowed to vote. About 70 per cent are undertrials. It is wrong to take away their voting right. Logistically, it is possible to make arrangements for them to cast votes." Before that, he narrated a story on how Congress leader Dr CP Joshi lost by a single vote. He said they recounted the postal ballots and total votes from each EVM on his request, but the results were the same. "His wife didn't vote. She and his daughter went to a temple instead. So, every vote counts and polling booth is the real temple." CP Joshi had lost to Kalyan Singh Chauhan in December 2008 Rajasthan Assembly polls. Joshi was the president of Pradesh Congress Committee and was frontrunner for the CM's post. He had polled 62,215 votes against Chauhan's 62,216 in Nathdwara in Rajsamand district.