Murthy mantra: bodies on lines of gram sabha

Murthy mantra: bodies on lines of gram sabha
‘Shift focus to urban governance’
Deccan Herald

Today Bangalore is facing problems. Tomorrow, smaller cities like Mysore and Hubli can follow suit, says the Infosys chief.

Urban governance is Karnataka’s key to economic prosperity. Or, so feels Infosys Chairman N R Narayana Murthy.

The IT czar’s vision of urban citizen bodies – on the lines of the gram sabhas — was unveiled at a presentation at the CM’s home office Krishna on Saturday.

The presentation, titled “Karnataka Regional Planning for Urban Rural Partnership Activities (Karpura), Leading the Nation in the Second Wave of Decentralisation”, was made by Ramesh Ramanathan of Janaagraha, at the behest of Mr Murthy and addressed to the two power centres in the coalition government – Chief Minister N Dharam Singh and JD (S) President H D Deve Gowda – and a battery of top officers from various departments. The presentation was in camera, but those privy to it said it turned the spotlight on enhancing economic opportunities by catering to the growing needs of urban areas.

Mr Ramanathan mooted the concept of urban citizen bodies, wherein citizens would have a greater say in urban governance. He also made a strong pitch for urban decentralisation and a “credible coordination mechanism” between civic agencies.

The Infosys chief said today Bangalore was hobbled by myriad problems. Tomorrow, it could be the turn of smaller cities like Mysore and Hubli. “We need to think beyond infrastructure and Bangalore. We need to tackle urban issues such as poor quality of life, housing, education, water and sanitation. We need to put our heads together, look ahead and plan accordingly,” Mr Murthy told reporters after the meeting. Mr Murthy said Karnataka had a concrete system for rural governance, but lacked the same for urban areas. He felt the economic opportunities in cities could be leveraged by putting in place a robust structure for urban governance.

The Chief Minister said Saturday’s meeting was an indication of the coalition government’s resolve to focus on the infrastructure needs of all urban areas, including Bangalore. He said a team of officials would be deputed to Rajasthan, which has already initiated reforms on the basis of the report given by Mr Ramanathan.

Shortly, one more meeting would be convened to discuss the outlines of the proposals to be implemented in the state, he added. Mr Ramanathan is presently serving as the Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for urban reforms.

Mr Singh said he was happy that Mr Gowda attended the meeting, the deliberations of which he termed as “fruitful”. He said the former prime minister had expressed concerns about infrastructure development in the city and entire Karnataka.

Mr Gowda, on his part, felt the exercise was aimed at dispelling doubts that the coalition government was not interested in Bangalore’s growth.



Kannadigas not ignored



N R Narayana Murthy denied that his company had not provided job opportunities to Kannadigas, as alleged by some Kannada organisations. “Infosys had provided over 10,400 jobs to Kannadigas, of its total strength of over 45,000. Five on our Board are Kannadigas. Those levelling allegations against Infosys should get data from us,” Mr Murthy said.

The Infosys chief has no political ambitions. Speaking to reporters after a high-level meeting on urban governance, Mr Murthy said his post-retirement plans did not include a stint in politics. Instead, he will continue as non-executive Chairman of the company. He is due to retire next August.