• ISBN13: 9788126919093
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: General Books
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors (P) Ltd
• Publisher Imprint: Atlantic
• Publication Date: August 20, 2014
• Pages: 336
• Original Price: INR 795.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 360 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice

Most of the books on Indian Civics contend that the civic and administrative systems in India are structurally sound and the problems lie only in their implementation. This book challenges this ‘holy-cow’ notion. It aims to convince that some of our major systems and policies are impractical and inconsistent, which is the main reason behind inefficient implementation of seemingly good policies. Instead of finding fault with the systems we find fault with politicians, political parties, and the bureaucrats, etc. Since we bark at the wrong trees, we are unable to solve any problems. This book provides refreshingly new viewpoints in identifying the problems at the administrative structures while suggesting possible solutions. The book answers several key questions about the governance in India, such as: (1) Are the people really the masters in India?; (2) What really causes our MPs and MLAs to create mayhem in the legislatures? How to make them discuss real issues without fighting and booing?; (3) How to strengthen the elected governments in India?; (4) How to control the rampant corruption that pervades the entire landscape of India?; (5) What does it take to reform the bureaucracy? Why all the previous efforts to reform the bureaucracy failed?; (6) Are the civil servants really servants of the people’s governments?; and (7) Are there really any fundamental duties for the people of India? What this book is NOT? The book is not a scholarly work written to benefit the students of political science, but is written for the common people of India, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and the People of Indian Origin. It is not a type of book (on India) that criticizes people for the problems in India. Rather, the book analyses them from many angles and provides simple and doable solutions to move forward. This book does not blame anyone or anything—living or dead—for the dire state of conditions prevailing in India. The author believes in the dictum, “wrongdoers may be punished or forgiven, but never blamed”, because blaming deprives the blamer first by curtailing his own ability to act. The book has not been written to merely satisfy the academic interest of the readers but to prompt them do soul searching in all earnest and transform India so as to become the great country it once used to be.

V.R. Meenakshi Sundaram is currently a trading representative (Remisier) with Phillip Securities Pte Ltd, Singapore. He holds bachelor degrees in Mathematics and Instrument Technology from the University of Madras and Anna University, respectively. He specializes in Control and Safety System Design during his engineering career of 24 years. Discovering a strong passion for investing, he participated in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program and completed all three levels. He is currently an associate member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Society at Singapore and also serves as a volunteer counselor for the inmates of local prison. He has been a retail investor for 15 years before becoming a finance professional providing stock-broking services to retail investors. With his strong background in safety system design, he realized how Safety System Concepts can be applied to investing, which can be of great value to retail investors. His objective is to educate the retail investors to combine Safety and Risk Management to invest successfully. He regularly conducts classes and seminars on stress-free investing.

• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1. Early Governments
• 1. JIST
• 2. Hero Worshipping
• 3. Fall of Empires
• 4. Elected Kings
• 2. British Raj
• 1. Company’s Rule
• 2. Colonial Administration
• 3. The Act of 1935
• 3. The Constituent Assembly
• 1. Midnight Hour
• 2. Democratic Republic
• 3. Gandhiji
• 4. Indian Bureaucracy 32-73
• 1. Master and Servant
• 2. Government Service is not Public Service
• 3. Tentacles of Power
• 4. The Virtue of Status Quo
• 5. The Faceless Machinery
• 6. Unconditional Loyalty
• 7. Permanent Employment
• 8. Just Who’s Responsible?
• 9. A Home under Construction
• 10. 19th Century Gear Boxes
• 11. Little Devils Become Big Demons
• 12. Central Recruitment
• 13. Are Civil Servants, Servants?
• 14. The individuals
• 5. The Judiciary 74-94
• 1. Independence
• 2. Uniform Justice
• 3. Delayed Justice
• 4. Judicial Activism
• 5. In the Limelight
• 6. Multiplying Inadequacy
• 7. Forgotten Purpose
• 6. The Union Executive 95-135
• 1. The President
• 2. The Vice-President
• 3. Council of Ministers
• The Real Executive
• 4. Collective Responsibility
• 5. The First Among Equals
• 6. Cap on Terms
• 7. Succession Plan
• 8. Year-Round Elections
• 9. The Question of Quality
• 10. The Question of Quantity
• 11. Minimum Common Program
• 12. Toothless Bodies!
• 13. Monopolies
• 14. Multi-tasking
• 15. Autocratic to Pathetic
• 7. The State Executive 136-161
• 1. The Governors
• 2. The President’s Rule
• 3. The Council of Ministers
• 4. District Collectors
• 5. The Virtues of Dyarchy
• 6. Division-Multiplications
• 8. The Union Legislature 162-173
• 1. God’s Verdict?
• 2. Disruptive Culture
• 3. Party or Principle?
• 4. Sweet Decisions
• 5. Sponsored Bandhs
• 9. Socialism 174-220
• 1. Negative Attraction
• 2. Myth of Equality
• 3. Self-interest
• 4. Bad Karma
• 5. Indian Infatuation
• 6. Capitalist Businesses
• 7. Automatic Balancing
• 8. Scope for Supervision
• 9. As Venerable as Tree
• 10. Government Owned Businesses
• 11. Private Sector under Permit-Raj
• 12. Flirting with Bankruptcy
• 13. Rajaji
• 14. Owner-Worker (Self-employed)
• 15. Don’t Listen, But Watch
• 16. Cat on the Wall
• 17. Uniquely Indian
• 10. Freedom is not Free 221-241
• 1. Your Choice Counts
• 2. Fundamental Duties
• 3. Universal Accountability
• 4. Dealing with Ghost 1
• 5. Dealing with Ghost 2
• 11. Corruption 242-263
• 1. Way of Life
• 2. Gambling Instinct
• 3. Bad Company
• 4. Fence Eating the Crop
• 5. Liberalization and Corruption
• 6. Partners in Crime
• 7. Ownership Stays
• 8. The Way Out
• 12. The Transformation 264-316
• 1. We, The Colony
• 2. Nothing Ever Works
• 3. The Grand Design
• 4. Bumblebee Democracy
• 5. Peace from Within
• 6. In Parting
• APPENDIX 1
• APPENDIX 2