Centre creating ecosystem to benefit each of 140 crore Indians: NCGG chief

New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) The Centre is creating an ecosystem where each of 140 crore Indians can take benefit of government policies, chief of National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) Bharat Lal said on Sunday.

He said any public policy in the absence of the right kind of governance is not going to achieve its objective and in today’s era if it is not mixed with innovation, it is next to impossible to meet the intended goal.

Lal said, in public policy, one has to be very clear about the goal, objective, and collaterals and “we have to see that everybody is benefited”.

“And today, the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is creating this kind of ecosystem and opportunities, where each of 140 crore Indians can take benefit,” he said.

Delivering the keynote address on ‘Public Policy, Governance & Innovation’ at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, Lal said in the last eight and half years, attempts for universalisation of various services like drinking water, electricity, cooking gas, internet connection at village and panchayat level is nothing but an example of good and enabling governance.

The Director General of NCGG said the government is working in mission mode to achieve 100 per cent saturation of all central schemes having a huge socio-economic bearing on the common man.

Lal said the right mix of governance, policy and innovation can create wonders and gave the example of Gujarat’s growth story.

He said, from the economic growth of 1.02 per cent in 1999-2000 and minus 4.89 per cent in 2000-2001, Gujarat clocked double-digit growth in the next two decades under then chief minister Narendra Modi and then his enabling role as the prime minister since May 2014.

During this period, Lal said, not only water scarcity has been eliminated in Gujarat, but the post-Kutch earthquake in 2001, climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure were built and the state became a shining example of inclusive development, double-digit growth and land of opportunities — a hot destination for investment and innovation ensuring prosperity and socio-economic development for all.

He pointed out that in the area of education after the National Education Policy (NEP-2020), the government is aiming to establish 740 Eklavya Model Residential Schools which will benefit over 3.5 lakh Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, according to a Personnel Ministry statement.

Lal said every block with more than 50 per cent tribal population and at least 20,000 ST people will have such a school.

He said these poor tribal children will have a boarding school, where they will get quality education, learn their culture, learn their sports and ultimately it will lead to the development of leadership among the scheduled tribes.

Lal mentioned that it took 60 years since Independence for India to become a 1 trillion-dollar economy in 2007, but the next trillion dollars was added only in seven years and in 2014, “We became 2 trillion economies and the 3rd trillion was added in just five years in 2019”.

He pointed out that these signify that the speed, scale and opportunities create their own momentum and this government is creating an enabling eco-system of providing opportunities to all.

Lal said in 2014, only 24 per cent of women were in the workforce and in the last seven or eight years, this percentage has increased to 33 and when “we talk about doubling of income or making India a developed nation in the next 25 years with per capita income of around 12,000 dollars, the role of women in the workforce is going to play a crucial role and the government is working on that strategy”.