India has seen attitudinal change: Former Bihar governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi

BENGALURU: Former governor of West Bengal and Bihar, Gopalkrishna Gandhi said on Monday that the biggest examples of policies which have been backed by public participation in the country are the census exercise, electoral rolls, immunisation, and Aadhaar.

Speaking at the 17th International Conference on Public Policy and Management, hosted by IIM, Bengaluru, he said that for India, the most important change was mental which led to an increase in age of consent for sexual activity and abolishing untouchability. “Immunisation, electoral rolls, Aadhaar, Census exercise and distribution of mobile phones are all results of public policy. India has seen an attitudinal and intellectual change,” he said during his inaugural address.

Quoting the Russell-Einstein Manifesto on the dangers of nuclear war, he said those involved in policy making must adhere to “Remember your humanity, and forget the rest” while taking decisions. “It is a timeless adage, and must inform every single policy decision. Moral subversion of material plans is also at the heart of humanity,” he said.

Regarding what prevents a public policy from being effectively implemented, he pointed  out several issues. “Self-satisfaction and smugness on the part of those who process and propagate policy and resistance to criticism are obstructions to a proper implementation of policies. The inability of self-analysis and explain the policy to the beneficiaries are also a part of this. Beyond all this, the lack of vision and philosophy of policy planning results in proper implementation,” he added.

IIM-B INKS MOU TO TRAIN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
Bengaluru: Social Welfare Minister Kota Shrinivas Poojari said on Monday that around 300 women entrepreneurs will be trained by the Indian Institute of Management-Bengaluru, (IIM-B) to become more self-reliant. The minister exchanged MoUs with IIM-B director Rishikesha Krishnan on Monday to launch the proposed training programme for SC/ST women graduates who want to pursue careers as entrepreneurs. “When women start ventures, they not only become self-reliant, but also create employment opportunities for many.

The success of ventures led by women has encouraged women from all sections of society to set up their own ventures. This will create more jobs, address gender discrimination in the workplace, and promote entrepreneurship development and skill upgradation among women,” the minister said. The partnership aims at training the women graduates and entrepreneurs for 5-6 months to help build their own business ventures.  The training will involve a hybrid mode of teaching and will include mentorship programmes.