DOGE INDIA, Anyone?

Not many expected Donald Trump to secure such a landslide victory in the US elections. While I’ve never been a fan of Trump, one announcement stood out—the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy at the helm. Regardless of personal opinions about Trump, this idea deserves attention.

Elon Musk, one of the most influential entrepreneurs of our time, has reshaped industries with his bold vision. His involvement with government efficiency offers a glimpse into what’s possible when innovative thinking meets the machinery of governance. Could India take inspiration from this?

One of the starkest contrasts I’ve observed between the private and public sectors is the relentless focus on cost in the former. In government, cost-efficiency is often relegated to the background. Service delivery is typically assessed on quality and timeliness, but cost rarely gets the attention it deserves. Delivery should balance all three—time, cost, and quality—but this alignment is often missing. A license may eventually be issued, but how much time and resources were wasted in the process?

Considering that government spending constitutes 15% of India’s GDP, even a marginal improvement in efficiency could create a ripple effect across the economy. Unfortunately, our governance remains entrenched in a system where job creation often trumps service delivery. Political manifestos still boast about promising government jobs, but these positions come at a significant long-term cost. Personnel recruited today will draw salaries and pensions for 30-35 years, straining budgets for future generations. In many states, the cost of salaries and pensions now exceeds developmental budgets.

This bottom-heavy bureaucracy prioritizes employment over outcomes. Take West Bengal, for instance, where loss-making corporations historically employed large teams for trivial activities like organizing annual football matches. Prime Minister Narendra Modi once highlighted this inefficiency with an anecdote: India retained the post of "Churchill's Cigar Assistant" until 1970—nearly 25 years after Independence. Created to supply cigars to Winston Churchill in the 1940s, this role persisted long after it served any purpose, illustrating the inertia that plagues government reform.

Ironically, the finance department—tasked with framing budgets—is the only one that scrutinizes costs. Once a budget is allocated, however, the focus shifts to spending every penny of it. Departments fear that unspent funds will lead to reduced allocations in subsequent years. There is no incentive to save money or improve efficiency. Performance is measured by how much is spent, not by how well services are delivered.

In contrast, the private sector thrives on accountability and outcomes. Governments, however, drown in layers of procedure. For example, a private foreign visit by a government official requires approvals from multiple officers—not necessarily to prevent corruption, but because that’s how it has always been done. This obsession with control over outcomes is counterproductive. What’s missing is a system that fosters accountability and transparency.

Technology offers hope. Could the electorate demand better service delivery if they had access to data? Imagine a dashboard tracking government efficiency, similar to the COVID dashboards that compared state performances. Citizens could contribute data—like the time taken to get a driving license—spurring healthy competition among states. Such transparency could revolutionize governance, creating pressure on politicians and administrators to deliver.

Benchmarking states on parameters like efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness could drive meaningful competition. It may sound utopian, but the private sector thrives on such metrics. While governments don’t operate for profit, indicators like cost, quality, and time could guide their efficiency and enable progress.

Motivation within government service is another blind spot. Public servants, particularly at lower levels, have no real incentives to expedite processes. Why should a municipal clerk care about expediting an NOC for house construction? There’s no variable pay tied to performance, no recognition for efficiency. Without these incentives, expecting change is unrealistic.

Over the years, some efforts have been made to address these inefficiencies. Concepts like Citizen Charters and outcome budgets were introduced but failed to gain traction. The missing ingredient is public demand. Crowdsourced platforms could amplify inefficiencies, hold administrators accountable, and mobilize citizens to push for reform. Without public pressure, these initiatives often lose momentum.

The world often looks to the US for inspiration. Could DOGE be the spark for a renewed focus on efficiency in India? The idea is not just bold; it’s necessary. DOGE INDIA, anyone?

#GovernanceReform #EfficiencyMatters #DOGEIndia #Bureaucracy #InnovationInGovernance