India’s perception has changed globally under PM Modi’s leadership: Oxford professor (IANS Interview)

New Delhi, Dec 4 (SocialNews.XYZ) Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his good governance, Oxford University professor Soumitra Dutta said on Wednesday that the perception of India has changed globally over the last 10 years as the nation marches strongly towards become a major economic power in the world.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Professor Dutta, who recently co-authored a study titled, 'From Gridlock to Growth - How Leadership Enables India’s PRAGATI Ecosystem to Power Progress', spoke on various issues ranging from completion of long-delayed infrastructure projects to the digital governance revolution.

Excerpts:

IANS: What was the idea behind the study on India's digital governance revolution and its outcomes?

Soumitra Dutta: The goal has always been to understand how India's progress in digital platforms and digital governance has actually impacted the development of the nation. In this context, Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation (PRAGATI) ecosystem has been extremely instrumental in improving the effectiveness of infrastructure projects in India and successfully unblocking some of the major projects that were held up for a long time, like the construction of a bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam. The basic idea behind PRAGATI came from the State-Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology, or SWAGAT, that Prime Minister Modi had created in the state of Gujarat when he was the state's Chief Minister in 2002. After the earthquake out there, he used that system, which is really a combination of available digital tools and his direct intervention as a chief minister to monitor the recovery processes to help the state recover quickly from that unfortunate calamity. Over the years, the Prime Minister's hands-on involvement remains a key feature of the platform and an essential component of its success.

IANS: Can you explain how PM Modi's personal accountability and regular oversight has ensured timely completion of several projects?

Soumitra Dutta: Large infrastructure projects traditionally have problems in terms of time and budget overruns. However, the Pragati ecosystem has successfully helped unblock some of the major projects which were lying blocked for a long time. There were many projects that were launched in the past but continued to languish due to bureaucratic hassles or lack of political will. Then came Prime Minister Modi and led from the front, making sure that they were completed. The best example is the Bogibeel bridge in Assam. The Brahmaputra River in Assam had long been considered one of the unbridgeable rivers and the project to build a bridge with the road and rail link was first approved in 2002. Until 2012, almost nothing actually happened and the whole development of the region was stalled. Then in 2015, after PM Modi reviewed the project through Pragati, things finally started moving. The fact that attention was paid to the project execution from the top of the country really helped in its completion by 2018. So you see, the project ecosystem is helping the development of the nation by helping unblock several large projects.

IANS: The study mentions projects worth Rs 17.05 lakh crore ($205 billion) going through the PRAGATI review process eventually leading to completion of many long-delayed, large-scale projects. Can you shed some light?

Soumitra Dutta: Studies show that for every rupee that is spent successfully in building infrastructure, the GDP sees an improvement of about two and a half to Rs 3. So this is a great improvement which essentially translates into development as a nation. Now if you look at India's 2047 goals, it aspires to be a fully developed nation... To achieve those goals, India needs to actually ramp up its infrastructure projects significantly and infrastructure projects, not just roads, highways and power plants, but also social projects. So large-scale systemic change is very important for India to be able to achieve its goals by 2047.

IANS: What impact does it have on governance when the top leadership is also fond of using and implementing technology?

Soumitra Dutta: Collecting and sharing data about large scale projects is not necessarily new. But, doing it at the scale of India's complexity and size is phenomenally great. What you do not see in other countries is sustained commitment of the top leader to actually get all the details of project execution. But here, in the Pragati ecosystem, Prime Minister Modi has consistently been focusing on the large, difficult projects and trying to unblock them. That is quite remarkable and the fact that he has done it so consistently over so many years has now created a culture in which people are seeing that, well, this is something that has his attention and this is something that is important where we actually have to come together and help him and help the country to move forward. Prime Minister Modi himself is a role model.

IANS: How do you see India's ongoing journey towards becoming a developed country by 2047?

Soumitra Dutta: A lot of forces are siding with India in its unprecedented journey towards being a Viksit Bharat that envisions becoming a developed nation by 2047 - the country's centennial year of independence. India is at a very, very historic sweet spot in its development. A lot of geopolitical forces are in its favour, a lot of technology forces are in its favour and a lot of leadership forces exemplify Prime Minister Modi's direction on leadership. They are in favour of development inside the country too. So my own belief is that India is well-positioned on this arc of development, the road of development.

IANS: You travel around the world and interact with leading professionals, as well as young students at the university. How do they see India's rise over the last 10 years?

Soumitra Dutta: Perception of India and brand of India has improved tremendously under PM Modi's leadership. India is now seen as a land of investment, of opportunity and a major player on the global stage. It's very important as India is seen as a valid contributor to the growth of the entire world. India has contributed to the actual development of even others, including the global South. The Pragati ecosystem has useful lessons for the leaders of Global South - in large parts of Africa, Latin America and Asia - that also need huge investments in infrastructure and large, wide, systemwide changes. They also need to learn how to do these projects better, faster, more effectively and more efficiently. The Pragati ecosystem shows them a pathway of doing so effectively.

Source: IANS