The weekend has been a landmark for different reasons – on the economic front the launch of Niti Aayog with its first big meeting and on the golf circuit, India's Anirban Lahiri entered the top 40 golfers of the world. Interesting while both are separate subjects, each can learn from new and important milestones.
Let's start with the Policy Commission. It's been hailed for the new approach, which is putting policy first and beyond planning. The weekend spearheaded by the PM himself set in motion some new ideas including getting centre and states involved in the process of policy formation. Having teed it off, keeping it relevant, focused and progressive are going to be its key prerogatives. That the PM insisted on states stepping up the gas on pending projects is just the signal industrialists have been looking for.
Noting that projects are often held up for want of timely decisions, Modi asked Chief Ministers "to give personal attention" to factors slowing down projects and asked them to "focus on the cycle of investment, growth, job creation and prosperity".
He also asked states to set up two task forces each to help the country get out of problem of poverty and increase agricultural production.
States and their constant demand for doles has to take a back seat in the light of the larger objective of rational growth. Both states and centre must seek cooperation on important issues of policy and instead of fighting one against the other, it must find common solutions to them forward. We don't know if GST will be actively pursued by the Niti Aayog but is a good example of a solid tax reform stuck in centre-state politics.
If indeed the Niti Aayog mustn't be mocked for too much planning, its starting point ought to be execution. Which would mean the PM and his policy team would now have to follow up the high benchmarks set in their inaugural meet. Although primarily a think tank, the direction from the Niti Aayog must aid quicker execution for its real success to come through. Early days yet but a huge build up of expectations.
On the golf front, the game is fast changing thanks to the achievements of young players in quick succession. Only the other day Anirban Lahiri was reflecting on his desire to rise up the world rankings and voila this weekend he went straight from late sixties to inside the forties in world rankings.
Lahiri has turned out to be a player par excellence as witnessed in his wins in Asia and his maiden victory on European Tour in Malaysia on Sunday. But as one gets better, the scrutiny and interest in the golfer only goes up. He is likely to get an invite to the Augusta Masters putting the spotlight on Indian golf talent. Lahiri remains a spectacular ambassador of the game for India and one hopes this new leap of faith and career high will allow him to build on his strengths, the ones he had used to reach here.
It's always exciting to enter the new league but its just as much of a struggle to live up to the many expectations - when games or economy, the rules don't change much.
