Dealing with delays
Time is and will always be precious! The Trusts is making efforts to cut down on the long waits and lengthy procedures that have become an inevitable part of government systems
Delays are a constant roadblock to development in India. They plague almost every area of the life of a common man — be it getting permits, licences, or justice in courts. People in India consider waiting as a sign of patience and acceptance. And while these may be good qualities in an individual, they are certainly detrimental to the growth and development of a nation.
Inefficiency and delays lead to various problems like increase in direct and indirect costs, uncertainty, lack of transparency, and corruption, to name a few. The results of this can be seen all around — in the roads that lie unrepaired for years, the towns with inadequate drains despite the provision of funding, old train tracks left without maintenance and so on. Now, amidst this culture of delays, shines a ray of hope. There are various tools being developed by the Trusts, in partnership with Swaniti Initiative, to deal with delays. These tools are being effectively used with the determined efforts of members of Parliament who are a part of the SPARC programme, to create applications through which it becomes possible to track the progress of projects and funds.
The MPLADS tracker will enable the tracking of projects initiated under the MPLADS scheme. The DISHA tracker will allow an MP and his/her office to track the meetings of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (named DISHA committee). This is a new committee, set up for the effective monitoring and coordination of central government schemes in the areas of infrastructure, social, and human resource development. This tracker will also help in sending reminders to key stakeholders and keeping a record of proceedings, targets and achievements. In the words of Tarini Mehta, a SPARC Associate, “As a pilot, these trackers will be used by the consortium of SPARC MPs, and thereafter we hope they will be widely applied, leading to greater transparency, accountability, and more efficient implementation of projects and schemes.”
India needs a renewed commitment to a better work ethic. The coming together of MPs, such as Mr Dinesh Trivedi, and organisations such as Tata Trusts and Swaniti Initiative, heralds India’s move towards more sound governance and administration.
This story has been taken from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Allied Trusts Annual Report 2016-17 .
