National Press Release – to be released across India
7 July 2016 – for immediate release
The President of Swarna Bharat Party, Mr Vishal Singh, said that chanting slogans won’t deliver a Swachh Bharat. A rubbish-free India simply cannot be delivered under the current governance system.
The cause of the vast amounts of filth that litters Indian streets, rivers and lakes has nothing to do with the habits of the people of India but everything to do with the inefficiency and corruption of our unaccountable political system and colonial bureaucracy.
SBP’s manifesto provides the full details of the reforms essential for India’s transformation. We need electoral reforms to ensure that the country gets honest politicians at all levels. We need to get rid of tenure and automatic promotion at all senior levels, including in local governments. Key performance indicators need to be included in municipality CEO contracts, so that if a CEO fail to deliver, he or she can be immediately fired. These CEOs must be empowered to hire and fire their senior officials on the basis of performance. Of course, the contractual CEOs and other contractual senior officials need to be paid very well and rewarded if they perform.
Without all these reforms Swachh Bharat will fail, and funds earmarked for it will be stolen or misused.
Mr Singh said that only highly competent local governments can implement the wide range of policies necessary to deliver a clean India. For example, e-procurement that uses modern auction design must be used to procure professional services to clean streets and public places. The contract design must ensure that successful bidders are held to account. Constructive compliance policies must be implemented. On the one hand, citizens must be educated and given access to waste bins at convenient locations. On the other hand, compliance officials equipped with cameras must to be empowered to impose significant on-the-spot fines.
However, the key is that the buck must stop with the CEO. “Deliver or go” must be our motto.
As part of this process, a vast number of new jobs will be created. India will also attract millions of new foreign tourists and investment. The stink of India puts off almost every person from the developed nations.
Mr Singh noted that the Modi government is unfortunately unable to understand the concept of governance reforms. It believes in chanting slogans. That is a delusion. The Modi government is guaranteed to fail.
Without implementing SBP’s policies , the stink and filth of India streets, rivers and lakes can never be removed.
End
Notes for Editors
SBP is India’s only liberal party, committed to defending liberty and promoting prosperity.
Contacts:
Sanjay Sonawani (Pune), Spokesperson, +91 9860991205
Vishal Singh, President (Bengaluru), President, +91 9920613669
Madhusudhan K. (Hyderabad), Joint Secretary, +91 9676914719
VIDEOS
Party leaders speaking on why Swachh Bharat will not work without system reform: