Table Of ContentAN UPSTART IN GOVERNMENT
‘Arun Maira has a passion for the progress of India and improvement of the lives
of its poorest people. This must be a collaborative endeavour, he urges, and
suggests systematic ways to engender cooperation. He also provides insights
from his decades of experience in making in India and abroad for changes in
mindsets necessary to create millions more good jobs in manufacturing in India.
An inspiring book.’
Suresh Prabhu,
Minister for Railways, Government of India ‘In this very readable account
drawn from several decades of practical experience, Arun Maira offers powerful
perspectives on how we can shape our future. In highlighting the role that
cooperation between stakeholders plays in institutional reform, his deep faith in
people as “appreciating assets” comes through very strongly. This work is a
timely and valuable contribution to thinking about the reform agenda that India
must embrace.’
Cyrus P. Mistry, Chairman, Tata Group ‘Arun Maira has brought his vast
experience, first in the private sector and then as a member of the Planning
Commission to bear on this thoughtful book about building methods of
cooperation and consensus to tackle some of the seemingly intractable
challenges that face India. As he points out, the stalemate that bedevils decisions
arising out of protagonists taking adversarial positions, can often be solved by
getting everyone to cooperate using proven methods. This is an important book
from someone who after a distinguished career in the private sector, has seen the
Government from the inside.’
Nandan Nilekani, Co-founder of Infosys, and former chairman of Aaadhar
‘Arun Maira has a passion for helping people to listen to each other, and to work
more effectively together to produce the results they would all want. He brought
this passion, which was evident in his earlier work as a leader of manufacturing
organizations and as a consultant, to his work in the Planning Commission. In
his book, An Upstart in Government, he explains how India’s Total Factor
Productivity would increase and how much the people of India would benefit if
systematic processes were applied for consultative planning and coordinated
implementation. He explains the principles for creating cooperation systems with
many examples. His book must be read by leaders in government, in the private
sector, and in civil society organizations also. They must all create better
cooperation systems within their enterprises. And, for the nation to progress
much faster and bring the fruits of progress to all Indians, they must cooperate
more effectively with each other too.’
Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra and Mahindra ‘The title of Arun
Maira’s book, An Upstart in Government, clarifies at the outset that he was a
different kind of government functionary. His book manages to “talk of many
things,” like Alice’s Walrus, with true anecdotes and stories of his experiences in
various sectors, without bureaucratic and management jargons, and is very easy
reading. To be able to see the larger picture, project a sensible worldview and yet
be able to connect with the human interest concerns of the common man, as he
does, is an urgent need of our time.
My own growing concern of the need for Anubandh, of concern and
connectedness among people, communities and even countries finds an echo in
his book, in which he explains how leaders in government, those in the private
sector, as well as the people in civil society organizations must have greater
cooperation with each other. For the nation to progress faster, and bring the
fruits of progress to all Indians, they must cooperate more effectively with each
other too. This is a book that will appeal to both those in the government and
those not in it.’
Ela R. Bhatt,
Founder, SEWA
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Copyright © Arun Maira 2015
The views and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and the facts are as reported by him
which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.
All rights reserved.
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eISBN: 9788129136503
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For my father and mother
Contents
Prologue: The Writer and the Journey
Part One
An Upstart in Government
1. To Serve the Country
2. Tripping Through Red Tape
3. A Child’s Ambition
4. A Road Less Taken
5. Playing the Inner Game: Make in India
6. Made by India: David Takes on Goliaths
7. No Time to Kill Time
8. An Innovative Enterprise
9. Crises of Aspiration
Part Two
Shaping Our Future
1. My Grandson’s Advice
2. Change It if You Can
3. A Strategy for Change
4. Connecting the Dots
5. When the People Speak
6. Many Dancers, One Dance
Description:Overview: For five years (2009-14) Arun Maira sat in India’s cockpit, as member of India’s national Planning Commission. These were years of great changes in the country, ending with the crash of the grand old Congress party in the national elections and the emergence of a new political configur
