Sometimes we forget that India is a federal country. We also forget that Centre is a geographical fiction and all action is in the states. Failure of a number initiatives and schemes can be attributed to this “distance” that exists between the Centre and the States. Ironically, a number of officers that would have worked in their respective states (especially those belonging to the Indian Administrative Service) look at states with disdain and look down upon them. This becomes evident while discussing the implementation of schemes in various states. One of the major factor contributing to the success of schemes or initiatives has been on account of the partnership forged with the states.
There was a crisis in coal sector in 2014. This crisis was not account of alleged scams. These scams were a consequence of shortage of coal in a country. India boasts of 300 billion tonnes of coal reserve with a requirement of just 800 million tonnes per annum. Yet there was a crisis as the coal production did not meet the target and 25 percent of the coal was being imported. To make matters worse, the Supreme Court cancelled allocation of coal blocks to private entities that were contributing around 90 million tonnes per. The coal blocks had to be auctioned now and by the Central Government. It was indeed a difficult job as these coal blocks did not exist at the “centre” but in states, some of which were being ‘ruled’ by an ‘opposition’ government. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had its government at the centre but states like West Bengal and Odissa were ruled by non-NDA parties. Hence a strategy was chalked to get the states on board. It worked because states were treated as partners and, instead riding a rough shod, a value proposition was conveyed. The states got convinced that the auction of coal blocks and the process defined for the purpose was in their interest. Such an approach is even more imperative now as almost all the coal bearing states (West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Odissa and Maharashtra) are under non-NDA governments. Auction for commercial coal mining cannot succeed without taking these states on board.
In terms of coal production by Coal India Limited (CIL) that is still the primary contributor to coal production (80%), partnership with states is even more important. Coal production depends upon a number of factors but the most important amongst them are: a) Land acquisition b) Environment and forest clearance c) Evacuation of coal. The first two factors are totally dependent upon what happens in the states. The process of land acquisition is almost totally under the control of and influenced by state governments. For environment and forest clearances, the entire groundwork is done in the state. Hence, states have to be taken on board. During the years 2014-16, a well-defined strategy was worked out. Under this strategy, no meeting was held in Delhi to resolve issues that were local in nature. As Coal Secretary, I travelled to the states and held periodic discussions with the state level officers and District Collectors to expedite clearance. An effort was also made to convey a value proposition to the states regarding coal mining. It worked. Coal production increases by 34 million tonnes during 2014-15. This was more than the cumulative increase of four previous years. During the following year, 2015-16, the production rose by another 44 million tonnes. Coal shortages were a thing of the past as no power plant was critical on account of paucity of coal. We were even toying with the idea of exporting coal to Bangladesh. The states were happy because their power plants had surfeit of coal and they were getting larger amount in form of royalty on account of increased production.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan is another example where the approach of treating states as partners worked. The Central team travelled the length and breadth of the country. They were on a mission to engage with the stake holders and convey a value proposition to them. Going down to the villages enabled them to assess ground realities that constituted very useful input in formulating policies. This was a game changer. The intensity of engagement and the passion that went with it helped “buyin” from various stake holders. A “connect” was established with each stake holder, including the state governments.
Until 2014, approximately 60% of the world’s open defecators (600 million people) were practicing open defecation across in India. This changed significantly. Within a few years of the scheme, the open defecation number came down significantly and now rural India has actually become open defecation free. Perhaps it is the connect with the ground realities that made Swachh Bharat
What is sometime forgotten at the centre is that the states also have elected and responsible government and that the centre is not the sole repository of all wisdom. This attitude gets reflected in a number of policies (including the proposed Education Policies) are announced by the central government and the details are defined to an extent that leaves little flexibility with the states and the auditors have a field day. In as complex and varied country as India, only the broad national parameters need to be defined and sufficient flexibility needs to be given to the states, treating them as responsible partners. The details of each scheme and initiative will have to be worked out locally. This will impart a greater ownership amongst the states giving the schemes greater chance to succeed.
Anil Swarup has served as the head of the Project Monitoring Group, which is currently under the Prime Minister’s Office. He has also served as Secretary, Ministry of Coal and Secretary, Ministry of School Education.
