Governance like life is an ever-evolving thing. Its principles cannot be laid down in linearity based on best practices of the past. And when it comes to governing States with multicultural and multidimensional challenges as Assam, the challenges are varied and bigger. In my life as a student and then as a people’s representative, I have seen challenges that face smaller States like Assam. Yes, there is a well laid structure with the District Commissioners and other Government officials working day in and day out to put in place policies laid down by the Centre and States. Yet, there are millions across the country who continue to be underserved despite best of intentions. This has been happening not only post-Independence, but even during the times of benevolent Kings not to speak of the self-serving British rulers, who held sway over India for over two hundred years in various avatars. With experience behind me, and as an acute observer of people’s difficulties, I was always of the view that a change in Governance model might just help those far away from our eyes and ears.
It is precisely on this chain of thought that I decided to launch the concept of Co-District, an unprecedented one in the country. Co-District allows more hands-on governance by eliminating the need for a subdivision and creating a ‘district within a district’ which empowers an officer subordinate to the District Commissioner to focus on areas that need attention while clearly defining and delineating the powers of both. Contrary to the belief that it will result in friction regarding ‘power sharing’, I see it as an opportunity for better governance through effective devolution of responsibility. When an officer looks at the overall objective of serving the people, she/he will realise why this concept will lead to serving the lowest common denominator without thinking on what others call ‘power sharing formula’. The District Commissioner will now be able to focus more on development of the district and progress of the people without being occupied by too much of routine work, something which has now been effectively decentralized.
Our Government had thought through all this, and arrived at a model which will bring about better administration, and Governance; information sharing for effective policy making and greatest happiness of the greatest numbers. Yes, this will be a work in progress. We are not claiming that this will be the formula that will fit everywhere, but we feel that in Independent Bharat’s history of Governance, this will be our mini contribution to secure people’s happiness. As we progress, we will learn from experience, and that is what I call an effective government. One should never be shy of learning what is best for people’s welfare as one practices day-to-day governance. More and more work will now be done at the local level.
It is with the same objective that we have launched Mission Basundhara 3.0. The lessons that I learnt as an individual in my years in public life allowed me to reflect on what is needed to ease people’s anxiety when it comes to their piece of land, something that allows them to have a sense of belonging. By effectively implementing this mission in the first two phases, we came to know of the effective measures to achieve the desired objectives. That learning has now come in the form of the third and a more advanced stage of securing land rights for the indigenous of the land without much hassle with clearly defined criteria. Land rights are always a contentious issue in any part of the country, more so in the North East where documentation and community laws have interjected. I am very sure that Mission Basundhara 3.0 will achieve precisely the result that we have set out to.
Our Government had thought through all this, and arrived at a model which will bring about better administration, and Governance; information sharing for effective policy making and greatest happiness of the greatest numbers. Yes, this will be a work in progress. We are not claiming that this will be the formula that will fit everywhere, but we feel that in Independent Bharat’s history of Governance, this will be our mini contribution to secure people’s happiness. As we progress, we will learn from experience, and that is what I call an effective government.
On October 3, I was literally on cloud nine. After nearly four years of a personal effort, and an innate desire to see my mother tongue find a place in history, we were able to secure Classical Language status to Assamese. This is based not only on the antiquity of our language but also many of its characteristics which defines its place in history. I am sure that every Assamese will be proud of this achievement and work with all her might to truly realise the potential that the language and its classical status offers. The efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in securing to Assamese its rightful place in history needs no emphasis. He has been a true champion of the North East. The welfare of its people, the growth of the region, and its culture has been always at the heart of our Prime Minister. His respect to our pride the Assamese gamosa is merely one of those actions which can be seen by the masses. Based on my personal meetings with him, I can tell you all how much he values our culture, and people. This is not only applicable to Assam but equally to the North East.
