The why not game -Governance Now

The why not game

A medley of out-of-box ideas. Let us debate them to better understand our democracy

Ashish Mehta | January 2, 2019 | Delhi

#artificial intelligence #public health #universal basic income #law commission #democracy #out of box idea #why not

Illustration: Ashish Asthana

A few years ago, we could have suggested, why not do away with '1,000 notes. We could have also suggested that the planning commission is anyway founded on an executive fiat and can be done away with another since it does not serve any logical purpose. Or, that a separate railway budget is merely a tradition without a concrete justification. We would have been considered too imaginative. That was before the boldness of imagination became the norm.

Now, one can wonder if the government can do away with personal income tax, and others won’t be able to laugh it away.

Some ideas are so out-of-the-box that they seem like nice one-liners and nothing more.

Then somebody comes around and puts them into practice. Big mandates probably give them the nerve. Rajiv Gandhi too pushed many ideas that do not seem so radical today: from a five-day work week in government to establishing the environment ministry and bringing in a law to end the Aayaram-Gayaram business.

However, one trouble with out-of-box ideas, as Arun Shourie once pointed out, is that there are enough ideas within the box that are yet to be tried out. In electoral and political reforms, for example, every idea pushed by civil society and think-tanks is bound to have figured in one or the other of the hundreds of law commission reports. The only one left is: why not take law panel reports seriously? An idea, finally, can be only as good as it gets on the ground through proper implementation.

In the holiday season overlapping the exit of one year and the arrival of the next, we indulge in a bit of speculative journalism in this edition. As a disclaimer, we would add that the 11 why-nots in the following pages are ideas to be debated and not suggestions for implementation. There’s always the danger of seeming airy, but then we thought: Why not?

Here are 11 out-of-box ideas:

[email protected]

(The article appears in January 15, 2019 edition)

Comments

Other News

What the US–Iran peace deal means for India

After months of rising tensions, the United States and Iran have reached a memorandum of understanding called the "Islamabad Agreement." This agreement allows for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and provides Iran with relief from sanctions, depending on its complianc

V. M. Tarkunde: A legal luminary par excellence

14 Lawyers: Portraits from The Bar By Raju Ramachandran Juggernaut, 248 pages, Rs. 799

The Cost of Obesity

The latest episode of Checks and Balances focuses on the ticking time bomb of obesity in India, and Geetanjali Minhas of Governance Now spoke with a panel of experts. You can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/mH

US-Iran deal: Path to peace or prelude to deeper regional quagmire?

In the midst of deep mistrust, the US and Iran are reported to have reached a framework deal for ending the West Asian conflict. But whether it will result in any meaningful breakthrough or pave the way for any lasting peace in the region, is in the realm of speculation. During

Lived life, philosophy, spirituality and other enigmas

The Ashes Are Warm: Memories of a Lifetime Spent with UG Krishnamurti By Mahesh Bhatt and Sunita Pant Bansal Rupa Publications, 384 pages, Rs 495

In Varanasi, fringe expansion vs. core heritage

For centuries, the urban framework of Varanasi was defined not just by its relationship with the sacred Ganga but by its multifaceted network of urban commons. Historic kunds, seasonal talabs (ponds), and open maidans served as the city’s basic ecological infrastructure. Th