To see book cover click PDF. Contents of book published by Random House are given chapter wise below. Details of how to buy book given below.
Chapter One Why a book on Narenda Modi and his governance
Summary: The chapter opens with a personal anecdote on Modi in first person account. While not deviating from the book’s main theme, which is Modi’s administration, governance and development vision including areas where he has missed and what he means for India at the country’s crucial stage, the book opens up before the reader a very personal side of the often secretive man which he would have never read before. Some of the subsections might appear emotional in content but I believe they make interesting reading about the man whose inner side is not known.
The anecdotes and interesting information about Modi in this chapter are based on my experiences with him over a period of 27 years. However, the majority that I have listed are largely from the period he became Chief Minister.
The chapter shows his holistic vision on governance based on his Panchamrut (Five-point based) mantra: Urja (power) Shakti, Jal (water) Shakti, Gyan (knowledge) Shakti, Raksha (security ) Shakti and Jan (People’s) Shakti. It also focuses on his core strategy; style of functioning and public-oriented governance which is based on reviving people’s lost pride and diverting the emerging latent energy on that account towards development and human endeavours.
The book argues that Modi is one of the first rulers in recent times who has honestly tried to give vote-bank free governance and has tried his best to withstand pressures of appeasement politics. It also points out that Modi has made an honest attempt to create situation where in people don’t look out for doles and learn to pay taxes. The chapter gives some of the most moving examples to prove that inclusiveness is an important part of Modi’s governance. On the whole this chapter shows Modi’s importance as a ruler in the national context as to what difference he can make at national level.
After the introductory paragraphs the Chapter has 14 sub sections namely:
1. What has marred India’s governance since independence and how Modi model could provide an answer?
2. Is Modi’s development model limited to figures and incomes alone?
3. Why a ruler should have five major requisites to succeed in India and how Modi embodies all of them.
4. Building on People’s Pride is his main weapon.
5. Modi’s core governance -- replete with milestones.
6. Are questions about the lack of inclusiveness in the Modi model justified?
7. The Paradigm shift in Governance.
8. Why he triggers hope in governance marked by adhocism?
9. Modi’s Misses.
10. Master of Convergence.
11. The inner Modi --- His outward perception and detachment.
12. His power of detached observation.
13. In Management Modi undoubtedly draws from Chanakya.
14. The perception that Modi is totally unfit for coalition politics could prove wrong as he believes in Chanakyaniti which could be an asset even in international diplomacy.
15. His resolve.
Chapter Two Energy sector: A revolution unmatched
Summary: The chapter captures with lot of credible inputs, data and anecdotes as to why Gujarat is number one in power sector. It maps the great turnaround of the Gujarat Electricity Board (now GUVNL) and lists a series of measures to improve power administration for eg drive against power theft. These examples are a lesson to other states and even for the new lot of politicians who want to become popular, amongst the common men, by taking the subsidy route instead of tough decisions. The chapter dwells on how Modi’s administration focuses on teaching people to pay for their services and taxes and not evade them. It gives an interesting account as to how the Jyotirgram Yojana which ensures 24 hours, three-phase quality power to all the 18,000 villages in Gujarat actually began and how was it implemented.
In the end the chapter also evaluates him critically on a few aspects quoting experts.
Chapter Three The agro success and the water vision
Summary: The chapter maps how and why Gujarat under Modi has done so well in the agro and irrigation sector describing in detail many of his innovative measures and actions which outline a very integrated and holistic approach to agriculture and irrigation and use of technology in it for modern farming. It gives close account of his experiments like the Krishi Mahotsav (Annual agriculture festival). It has many personal anecdotes about Modi which prove how he has spared valuable and quality time for this sector and demonstrated rare leadership in the form of his visionary communicative style with the farmers to enlist their support in his governance endeavours. The chapter has many examples of the poor farmers who have benefitted from his agro policies. It also strongly brings out Modi’s efforts to propagate drip and sprinkler and the great success he has achieved in it by taking the micro irrigation cover to 11 lakh hectares, more than 11 per cent of total sowing area, from less than one lakh in 2003.
In the end the chapter does a critical evaluation of Modi and shows areas where he has failed or what he could have done and but has not done.
Chapter Four The Visionary Innovator
The chapter shows why Modi is a visionary innovator in the area of governance by citing a series of examples, anecdotes and then focussing on his seven such initiatives in detail. These seven are in the form of subsections namely:
1. An unprecedented experiment in India’s history that can transform India when replicated at national level: Creating pride, bringing in oneness and ushering in development in far-flung areas by celebrating 15th August and 26 January in a new district headquarter every year.
2. Kanya Kelavni (Girl child education) and Gunnotsav (self mapping technique in mapping primary education standards): Tackling problems of primary education through missionary mode innovation.
3. Vaanche Gujarat (Read Gujarat) campaign: Rekindling the habit of healthy reading in a TV crazy age.
4. Swantaha Sukhaay: a mantra in self satisfaction for the bureaucrat.
5. Creating a world class recreation hub by just value addition: The Kankaria Lake Front in Ahmedabad looks like a piece from Singapore.
6. The Tourism turn-around and the magic of Rannotsav show cases Modi the innovative marketer.
7. The dynamic Green initiative: A first on Climate Change
Chapter Five Khel Mahakumbh: The Sports Wonder
Summary: This chapter is on Modi’s visionary and herculean effort to improve Gujarat’s image in an area in which it is seen as very weak.
Sports - Here Modi’s reveals his integrated and dynamic vision to prove how success can be achieved in a weak area by firing the imagination of the people. The massive State level Khel Mahakumbh which Modi Government has been organising since 2010 has no parallel in India. It is a State Olympic along the lines of the sports meets of ancient Sparta or Athens that aims to take sports to the village level with a focus on talent hunting. The scale of the event can be gauged from the fact that over 15 lakh people, mostly youngsters, had been participating in the till 2012. In 2013 however, the Modi Government widened its net further and as many as 30 lakh participated in the event. The event has as many as 16 Olympic events and gives prizes worth Rs 30 crores to the winning sports persons. The total amount of prizes which Modi gives in this event is seen as mind boggling by Indian standards for a State Government. Eminent international sports persons have lauded this effort. .
Chapter Six Technology is a big delivery weapon in Gujarat model: It shows a new path to the nation
Summary: This chapter conclusively proves giving the most credible Central Government data as to how Gujarat is miles ahead of all other States in use of technology for good governance and has used it as great weapon to put down corruption and frauds in administration and ensure easy the delivery to the people at multiple levels. The Gujarat technology initiative clearly shows a new path to the rulers in the country. It gives interesting anecdotes of how people have befitted from use of technology and gives quotes of the captains of the technology from such credible organisations like the Computer Society of India and the Tata Consultancy Services. They believe Modi has taken Gujarat miles ahead of other states in E-governance.
Chapter Seven Gujarat’s amazing fiscal turnaround: The tough fiscal manager shows a new path in finance resource management
Summary: This chapter too will make interesting reading for readers. Modi’s fiscal management skills, marked by transparency and tough decision-making, has enlarged the tax net, greatly improved the development v/s non-development expenditure ratio, enlarged the annual plan outlay by more than nine times in 12 years, revived the ailing public sector undertakings and set a great example before the country that shows it a new path in finance management. It also focuses on how use of technology is one of the main factors behind it.
Chapter Eight The knowledge initiative: In sync with the changing times
Summary: Citing a series of Modi Government’s education and skill development initiatives, aimed at job creation and focussing on important social life sciences, this chapter gives both the macro and the micro view of Modi’s integrated knowledge vision that focuses both on knowledge sharing as well as skill development. It has quotes of people who have worked with Modi in the knowledge/education area as well as of experts... It brings out Modi’s endeavour to create niche area institutions in higher education and improve standards of education at college level by innovative initiatives. The chapter also offers critical evaluation. It has innumerable robust examples quotes that depict Modi as an institution builder.
Note: The book has a lot of quotes from people including bureaucrats who have worked with him and also eminent experts.
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Also read
1. Gujarat: Governance for Growth and Development by Bibek Debroy
2. Agriculture be like Gujarat by Shankar Acharya in Business Standard 14/7/2011
3. Electricity Lessons from Gujarat MINT editorial 17/6/2012
4. India’s Guandong says Economist 7/7/2011