The journey begins… and continues
In June of 2016, I embarked on a journey unlike any other — the Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associates program. This has been the biggest learning experience in my life so far.
After the programme, I’ve gone on to work as part of the program team that manages the CMGGA programme. Now more than ever, I am able to participate more actively in conversations with senior government officials and members of the Chief Minister’s Office.
In the section below is an excerpt from my diary, documenting one of my very first interactions as a newly initiated CMGGA with the Chief Minister, Shri Manohar Lal.
6th September 2016
The meeting kept getting more exciting as it progressed. I found myself satisfied by the strong policy recommendations our small efforts had made. The vision, diversity and balance in thought of the state’s top leader was impressive. I began to understand the decision making process of an elected executive, and the unprecedented trust that they had placed in us 20-something-year-olds.
I am referring to the meeting chaired a few days ago by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Haryana to review the first 6 weeks of work done by his Good Governance Associates, i.e. the 22 of us CMGGAs. We showcased some of the best practices we had identified in the districts of Haryana, the reduction in pending public grievances our support had enabled, the need for employee training in the power distribution companies, and the adverse impact of poor infrastructure on the effectiveness of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. The diversity of work we were involved in and the ability to support the district administration, particularly the Deputy Commissioner, kept us very busy over the last 6 weeks. The chance to meet the Chief Minister has given me the opportunity to reflect on my journey so far.
We as CMGGAs are in a unique position to contribute to the tremendous scope of improvement of government to citizen service delivery.
The influence of the government, especially the Deputy Commissioner, in the everyday life of citizens is incredible. From agriculture to industries, health to education, public infrastructure to private organizations, the Deputy Commissioner is involved in some aspect of all these. The opportunity I have to work closely with the district administration in Jind to make a positive impact on any of these areas is immense. In a short span of time, I have been able to support my Deputy Commissioner in small ways towards solving some of these problems and have seen the functioning of the government improve. Be it raiding canals at midnight to check water theft, or organizing a district level sanitation drive, or interacting with and pacifying a small group of ASHA workers who wanted to meet the Deputy Commissioner with their set of demands, or revamping the district public library or conceptualizing a web portal to monitor progress of various government schemes, all of these experiences have contributed immensely in my learning and in impacting others’ lives in small ways.
Motivations and inspiration to bring about change run low within the Government
What I found most frustrating was the behavior of the government employees. I’ve noticed that government jobs are often considered just that, and not as an opportunity to improve people’s lives. One of the reasons for this attitude is the short tenure of the employees owing to frequent transfers. This, directly or indirectly, affects thousands of citizens negatively. Imagine the possibilities for a revolution if everyone, within the government, thought of themselves as change makers, and worked with empathy coupled with innovation. Instead, we have some of the government employees performing at their minimum just to keep themselves from getting suspended. When I see that I wonder what will change this attitude of the employees? Will continuous monitoring and micro-managing be a sustainable model to get things done?
A trade-off between money and job satisfaction is what is essential to lead a satisfied life
When I took the plunge from my cushy corporate job to join the CMGGA program, I had many apprehensions. The biggest of my apprehensions was moving into a job that required longer working hours at less than half the pay (as compare to my corporate job) with no sure-shot clarity on the exact nature of the work. The CMGGA programme is the first of its kind in a small state like Haryana, managed by the a new player in the development space, Ashoka University.
Six weeks in, I have come to realize that remuneration does not matter much more than just bragging about it. One could be happy with what he has and can keep his materialistic desires at bay or he could always be unhappy even with all the money in the world. While it is too early to say that the job satisfaction is unparalleled to anything I have experienced in life, the gratification I feel from the job is definitely much more than I have felt on any day in my corporate job. The programme has been designed as a balance between structured work modules and unstructured innovation. The performance and reporting is managed very professionally, and the required motivation and support to each associate is provided frequently, thus eliminating the danger of any associate becoming yet another frustrated person in the system.
The way forward
Ever since my college days, I have considered the idea of a job in public service as an administrative officer. My positive learnings so far, have led me to believe that this could be the most satisfying job I could take-up. However, observing how an officer’s work depends on the efficacy of his subordinates — most of whom are not as motivated as he is and that scares me a bit. The biggest lesson I want to take away from this programme is precisely this — the ability to maintain this fine balance. At the end of the year, I am sure I will gain more clarity and step a forward to impact more lives than I did in this short period as a CMGGA.
