Ramkrishna Bajaj Award winners discuss the challenges of good governance
Ramkrishna Bajaj
As India gears up for the elections starting next month, it is vital to step back and look at the aspects of good governance that uphold the principles of democracy. And what better occasion to discuss this than the Ramkrishna Bajaj Good Governance Awards ceremony, which annually recognises outstanding contributions in this field. Thus, the agenda of last week’s meeting was not just about conferring the coveted title on the winners — it was also about bringing up a topic that is currently on the mind of every Indian and discuss it at length. The result was an engaging and interesting conversation, moderated by C. V. Madhukar, Director of Omidyar Network India.This year, the Awards Committee of the Rotary Club of Bombay worked closely with the Praja Foundation, a non-partisan organisation that works on civic issues, and conducted exhaustive research to select two candidates from a large pool of the city’s MLAs and councillors. Based on the findings, the Committee recognised the contributions of Municipal Councillor Hemangi Harish Worlikar and Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Yogesh Amrutlal Sagar, and selected them for the prestigious award, which was presented last Tuesday.
After a brief introduction by R/Anne Poonam Lalvani, Madhukar took charge and began the session by asking the awardees about their work and the difficulties they faced on a daily basis. Hemangi, who was asked the question first, replied, “People come to me with different problems and it is not easy to tackle them all at the same time. I have to take those problems to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). Sometimes there are certain issues that take time to get resolved. I am the middleman, who explains why it is taking so long. If the problem is not solved, I am blamed for it.” To which Yogesh added, “People don’t know which questions should be addressed to the Corporation. I believe the representatives are responsible for this to some extent because some of them don’t perform their duties correctly. They should understand that rules and regulations are meant to help people and should not be used to create hurdles.”
The Mumbai Report Card of 2013 by Praja Foundation gave Hemangi the title of “Outstanding Councillor” for her work in Worli village. During the discussion, she pointed out that the village is surrounded by the sea on three sides and faced issues related to drainage and water-logging. She said, “People expect their problems to be solved immediately. Each day is a challenge since the problem-solving technique for every issue is different and they (people) can only come to me with their problems.”
The focus then shifted to the functioning of the Assembly and Madhukar asked Yogesh his views on the limitations faced when the Assembly fails to function efficiently. Yogesh said, “Presenting your plans in front of the Assembly is not easy, as nothing is fixed. We have to use parliamentary instruments including rules and regulations, and plan how we intend presenting the issues depending on the time allotted for my party. Besides, there are many NGOs, such as the Praja Foundation, as well as workers and corporators from MCGM, who lend their support to improve the system. NGOs can support discussions with feedback from the society along with facts that help the cause.”
Public service can often put stress on family life and when Madhukar asked Hemangi about her work-life balance, she smiled and replied, “Initially it was very hectic for me. But gradually, as my children grew up, I explained my work to them and made them understand that I have been elected by the people and have to work for them. My husband has been a great support through tough times.”
The discussion ended with Madhukar throwing light on the problems that arise from corruption. He pointed out that people believe all politicians are corrupt and asked the awardees how they dealt with the common perception. Hemangi, who is least affected by this perception, said, “People are going to judge you on the basis of what is presented to them. I will do my duty and give my best — irrespective of what they say. If I am corrupt, they will not elect me. I let my work speak for myself.”
Some excerpts from the Q&A session:
Q: Why is there resistance to the implementation of Local Body Tax (LBT) and value added taxes?
Yogesh: When VAT was introduced, they said that it will put an end to all local taxes. It was a very difficult situation for the government. LBT was not implemented in MCGM because their budget is `32,000 crore and more than `8,000 crore comes from octroi. My party and I are in support of finding a substitute for octroi. But to subsidise that amount, the Corporation has to make the necessary arrangements. In order to make this system foolproof, expenses and leakages should be curbed. Till that happens, the fight will go on.
Q: Do you support the construction of the Shivaji statue that will cost `1,200 crore?
Yogesh: Spending `1,200 crore on the statue can be a very controversial matter. It may be an important matter to some. Will it increase our GDP? No. But I think it is part of our cultural heritage. It is a question about the society and it is unfortunate that politics has been associated with whatever we intend doing for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We could instead focus on spending that amount of money to renovate his Raigad fort. It can become a tourist spot and can generate employment opportunities for villagers nearby.
Q: How much of the `32,000 crore goes into establishment expenses and salaries? How much is being spent on real work?
Yogesh: Sixty to sixty-five percent goes into establishment expenses. Repaying loans for ongoing projects and expenditure on maintenance of establishments comes to
22 percent. Out of the remaining 18 percent, 8 percent is spent on the work and 10 percent is allocated for the next budget. We carry it forward.
Q: What are your views on the problems faced when it comes to segregation of garbage in our city?
Hemangi: The problem starts at home, at an individual level. The MCGM is trying its best to organise small programmes for every ward in the city so that the segregation of waste is done correctly in houses. Ultimately, the process will be more organised at the larger level only when it is done correctly at the smaller level.