When I landed in America as a student in the mid-1990s, the first thing I noticed was how big coffee cups were and how everyone just drank water from the tap at airports, at home, on campus, and in public places. did. park. People trusted the quality of public water supplies and did not boil or filter their tap water. This was common in India at the time and unfortunately is still practiced today.
Why can’t we still trust government-supplied water in 2024? Few homes will be without expensive filters. Why doesn’t every home still have running water? Where does the water come from? Who ensures the quality? These are the basic questions we need to ask ourselves.
In India, politics is more about elections than governance.
High-decibel electoral politics dominate the media and public conversations, with little attention paid to policy development and implementation. Good governance transforms people’s lives on a scale unlike any other mechanism. India has made steady progress in various dimensions of development, even as it continues to struggle with challenges such as poverty, malnutrition, social justice, and economic inequality. While a number of books have been published in recent years documenting and analyzing success stories in public education, health care, and economics by practitioners and retired civil servants, it is rare to find a book on urban governance written by an IAS officer. Currently in service.
People first: ‘How Odisha’s Drinks from Tap Mission quenched thirst’ by G. Mathivasanan, IAS, who is currently Additional Chief Secretary (Housing and Urban Development Department), Government of Odisha. An invaluable explanation of how the ambitious vision of “Drinks from Tap” can be realized. It was achieved in India’s towns and cities through a combination of political will, policy-making, teamwork and public participation. Mathivathanan has been serving as his IAS officer in charge of urban governance in Odisha for the past few years.
This book is fun for anyone who wants to understand how government works behind the scenes. Learn how to turn crisis into opportunity and lead everyone from prime ministers to government officials. Engineers, contractors, Jal Sathis and most importantly the people of urban Odisha. A key message that is reiterated is that governance is about social change, not engineering intervention.
Civil servants, public policy makers, and students won’t want to miss this book, which busts some myths with real-life scenarios, practical solutions, and results.
Should the government procure the pipes directly, or should a contractor be brought in to bid? What motivates contractors to deliver quality work on time? Existing policies such as the “right to use private land for electrical infrastructure” can be applied to ensure residential connections are made without delay. Could a new policy be created “right to use private land for laying water pipelines”? Does it make sense to bring in external consultants, or is it better to build internal capacity? How can government departments that typically operate in silos trust each other and build partnerships? If we provide water 24/7, will people abuse it? Why is it important to carry out such projects in slums? Why is investing in water important to the public? Will it be an investment in sanitation? What exactly is “political will”?
It’s great to have inclusion as a guiding principle. It is also rare for people to admit their wrong decisions and correct course. It takes humility for experienced police officers to admit that extensive consultation and consensus-building are essential to fostering trust.
Puri is a popular destination visited by millions of tourists. Here, tourists, like residents, can drink water directly from the city tap without hesitation. This book explains how this amazing feat was accomplished despite several challenges and limitations. When you visit Odisha, you will want to drink water straight from the tap.
Disclosure: The author works on urban governance and is currently a fellow at WRI India. He was a member of his team at Jagga Mission, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Government of Odisha, from 2020 till 2023.
issued May 4, 2024, 21:09 IST