In this New Indian Express article, Shankkar Aiyar, Visiting Fellow at IDFC Institute, writes that India’s many failures are located in the lack of administrative accountability.

 "The Standing Committee of Defence led by Maj. Gen. B C Khanduri, it would seem, finds a lot yet wrong with the system—it has been particularly scathing in its comments on the red-tape that stalls equipping of the services personnel. In its report on ‘Demands and Grants’ for 2016-17, it finds that the age-old issue of mismatch between projections, allocations and utilisation persist. For a decade, the Indian Railways was in the shunting yard of political interests. The Railways have the potential to transform the idea of connectivity and drive GDP growth. The induction of Suresh Prabhu, blessed with a pro-reforms aura and integrity, promised to change all that. In its report on pending projects submitted on August 31, the Standing Committee on Railways is less than satisfied with the pace of change. The grunge of delays continues to afflict the Indian Railways. While clearance time for projects has purportedly come down from 30 months to 12 months, implementation continues to be an issue... The notes cover Standing Committee reports of just three ministries, but the meme of bureaucratic apathy is a recurring one. India’s many failures are located in the lack of administrative accountability. Transformation needs emphasis of the political imperative. It also requires a radical change in approach and new systems to reboot governance."

Read the full article here.