Smart Governance Of Internal Processes Is The Mantra For Making Cities Smart

THE WORK DONE with the private sector for smart city projects will not give results without sorting out the internal system in order. The smart city projects will not come to fruition without great visioning in the government processes

World class governance is what bureaucrats seek for. After the launch of the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), Information Technology is perceived to be the panacea for all issues. Major IT vendors are pushing to sell their IT solutions, however at the other end of the spectrum, there are government employees who are at times, frustrated, clueless, unhappy and most of the times drudging, and trying to give their best.

“I am intrigued with how do we make Governance world class. I don't think IT is the panacea for all ills. My suggestion is the following: IIT- Integrity, Innovation and Technology,” says Dr. Santhosh Babu, IAS, Chairman & MD, Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation, Ex-IT Secretary, and MD of ELCOT, Government of Tamil Nadu. It's difficult to get all the three qualities together. The presence of this combination will lead to transformational leadership.

What is transformational leadership ?

Leadership is a characteristic prevalent in any entity of the society. Be it private sector, a family, an NGO or in the government, but what matters is, “Are you ‘a leader of your imagination’ or ‘a leader of your circumstance’ ? is the question that leaders will have to ask,” states Babu. To apply this statement to a country, it can always be said, India has remained underdeveloped since Independence and will continue to be like that. As against an approach of 'leader of your imagination' will convert this statement to, 'can India be made into a nation like Singapore in the next few years'.