Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations (33 page)

The success of any project, whether in government or elsewhere, depends on two things: the right people for the job, and an institutional framework that provides the right incentives for everyone in the ecosystem. We firmly believe, based on our experience with Aadhaar, that all we need is a start-up in government to address every grand challenge we face. Equally important, the start-up must eventually integrate into the main body of the government rather than continuing to remain a separate unit; this is the only way to ensure that these projects survive and thrive in government while minimizing the potential for friction.

In order to ensure that these projects do not sink under the weight of bureaucratic gravity, it is essential that they be anchored under the national leader, the prime minister. When we look at some of India’s earlier government start-ups, what stands out is the close rapport between the prime minister and the leader of the initiative—the warm relationship between Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr Homi Bhabha, who led India’s atomic energy programme, is one example. It is this kind of dedicated support at the highest levels that allows for entrepreneurial projects within government to succeed.

In markets, competition drives change. A new competitor can offer a better product, and replace an old monopoly. In politics, change is driven through the electoral process. In order to be successful, politicians have to be able to deliver on the people’s aspirations. As the world evolves with technology, government has to keep pace, and it is up to the political masters to make this happen.

We have identified twelve grand challenges in this book; the first two of these—Aadhaar and PaHal—have already been scaled successfully. That leaves us with ten more grand challenges for which we need ten start-ups in government, each with a team of ten dedicated multidisciplinary champions. Such teams, operating under the authority of the prime minister, can drive the sweeping transformation and innovative thinking capable of fulfilling a billion aspirations.

We are much better off dreaming, taking risks, and trying to realize a billion aspirations; at best we risk falling flat on our faces. Far more egregious, and most dangerous to our country, is going about ‘business as usual’, leaving a billion voices unheard and a billion frustrations unreso lved.

A village kirana shop, April 2010. Millions of such stores dot India’s landscape and, equipped with microATMs, can bring banking facilities to every Indian’s doorstep.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

Aadhaar logos being tested in a village in Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, in April 2010. A competition was held to design the final Aadhaar logo and various options were tested in the field before selecting the best design.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

Nandan at UIDAI’s Bangalore tech centre, August 2010. The pictures on the wall behind him were taken by team members travelling across the country, serving as a constant reminder of both India’s diversity and the size of the challenge we faced.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

A wall in Tembhli village, 2010, on which data from a government scheme is being painted. This is the local transparency portal, where residents can check the data for accuracy.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

Viral in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, 2011. He was configuring the microATM device that would be used in initial field trials, and attracted a crowd of fascinated children.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

A young resident of Tembhli village being readied for Aadhaar enrolment on 20 September 2010, just prior to the official launch of the scheme. Even though the enrolment technology had been standardized, such makeshift arrangements had to be made on the ground to accommodate everyone.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

The first line of residents waiting to get enrolled in Tembhli village, 20 September 2010. As enrolments scaled up across the country, such lines became commonplace.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

Aadhaar letters being delivered by a postman in a Jharkhand village, February 2011. The book in the postman’s hand is a special register created by India Post to track the delivery of Aadhaar letters.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

A typical rural employment worksite, May 2010. These women are waiting for the muster roll call to mark their attendance under the MGNREGA rural employment guarantee scheme.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

Posters on a wall in Khurja, Uttar Pradesh, April 2010. These advertisements reveal India’s aspirations—classes teaching computer programming and how to speak American English hold the promise of better jobs and more money for India’s youth.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia

Posters advertising entrance examinations for various government services in Uttar Pradesh, April 2010. A government job is usually seen as a guarantee of a secure income and a comfortable life.

Photograph © Naman Pugalia