The destiny of India lies with the 610 Districts of India…

The 610 Districts of India are governed by an equal number of District Collectors (District Magistrates). They are the little ‘Rajas’ of their respective ‘Riyasats’ (Kingdoms). In some sense, they are the pawns in the hands of the local politicians, on the other hand, they have unlimited powers. Naturally, we must be selecting the best talent available in India. Do we? These DMs (District Magistrates) as they are called, have enormous responsibilities too. Do we compensate them accordingly? How many DMs do we talk about? How much media coverage do they get? These unknown ‘Rajas’ can make or break the destiny of our country, that we all love so much. It is time to shed some light on these administrators. We must know them enough and applaud their achievements, or scold them when we need to.

The District Administrations are part of the ‘Indian Civil Service’ that originated under the ‘British Colonial Rule’ towards the later part of the nineteenth century. The ‘Imperial Civil Service of India’ was constituted in 1886-87, based on the recommendations of the ‘Public Service Commission’. Subsequently, the name Imperial Civil Service was changed to Civil Services of India. However, the term Indian Civil Service (ICS) persisted. After the independence in 1947, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to abolish the ICS as part of the colonial legacy. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister) persuaded Nehru as well as the Chief Minister of the states to preserve the “Steal Frame” of the British Administration. Prime Minister Nehru was a poet and a dreamer, but the Home Minister Patel was an administrator, just like John Adams, the second President of the United States. He transformed ICS into IAS (Indian Administrative Service).

Each and every district of India must develop like a Singapore, a Hong Kong or a Dubai, all city states in their own right. India’s 610 districts are fairly large and populated. What they lack is the infrastructure and an incentive for private sector to invest in these areas. If the Government of India was to create a ‘Corpus Fund’ of a $1 billion in each district to be invested in private sector, the districts would develop. This would mean an investment of $52 billion a year for the next 12 to 15 years. Can we do it? Probably! But what is important is an idea of an equitable investment in all parts of the country. India needs a grand vision of creating 610 metros in the next 40 years. In 2047, when we celebrate the centenary of our independence, India should be the most comprehensively developed society in the world.