The Prime Minister’s decision to rely on the armed forces reflects a deeper commitment to professionalism, affirming that India’s future depends on capable, values-driven experts and globally aligned
Pahalgam has been on the mind of a very large number of people, not only because it was gruesome but also because it was thought — less. Such acts don’t achieve much other than shake up almost anyone who gets to know of it. Ultimately, it proves nothing.
The Indian psyche has been understandably shaken by this event. The response of Indians has been understandably very strong; the demand has been for action, in a way which would serve as a deterrent for much time or indeed for all times. Such actions must be undertaken. Ignoring it will imply that those who do it will believe that they can do almost any-thing and get away with impunity.
The Prime Minister promptly assured the nation about the same and then came the operational part. The armed forces were given a free hand to do what they considered necessary to ensure that no such incident would ever occur again.
Of the many choices that were there the Prime Minister, chose a professional response. The armed forces were the preferred choice. This choice of the professional route is a significant approach: given the way ‘Indianness’ has grown in the 20th century.
Indeed, in the rise of modern India, the ‘professions’ have played and an important role. Ever since the visit of the Simon Commission it was realised that India would need to be administered with the help of Indians and therefore it would be necessary to havean ‘Indian’ civil services. It also became obvious that the nation would need good engineers; good doctors; good business people and more.
Gradually as the industries grew and the nation consolidated itself, it was recognised that various professional cadres would have to play an increasingly important role. An army would be necessary and it would be necessary to have tactical people, to run the industries, and to run technological systems.
Similarly, other professions would be needed. For all these standards would have to be developed and delivery mechanisms fashioned.
The widening and deepening of needs cannot be always forecast but the ground work can be laid for consolidation and diversification.
India’s need would grow as the nation progresses and chooses it future with diligence and foresight.
There is always a growing need for larger numbers of professionals to run a country. They must understand ‘Indian-ness’ they must understand Indian issues and be able to generate Indian solution. This is an essential part of growing maturity of a nation.
As the nation widens and deepens its range, more professions emerge. They get quickly absorbed in the employment scene. This helps solves several of the problems and in turn creates a few unique ones. Amongst the problems will figure identifying parity among similar professions across the world. Their respective progression paths, their perks and their promotional opportunities could indeed vary from country to country and indeed even region to region.
Gradually international pattern will be factors in creating benchmark and finding a place for the Indian professional in the community of that specific profession across the world.
Typically, an electronics engineer from India will have to be as competent as an electronics engineer in say Canada. Strategies for the shaping of an Indian professionals would have to combine the potential of the local traits with the acumen of a globally accomplished person in that profession.
This would indeed facilitate employment mobility across geographies. Comparison between foreign training and Indian training would show the way of helping both to highlight international bench marks.
Further there would be need to create some kind of parity not only across geographies in the same profession but also across the similar professions in the same geography.
In other words an electrical engineer in India would not only have to be comparable to an electrical engineer in Peru but an electrical engineer in India would also want parity with a Civil Engineer in India, itself.
Further beyond parity there would need to make available competitive growth competencies and competitive working conditions.
Parity of scales of remuneration has already been indicated above and so has been the opportunities to reach the top in respective cadres.
Periodic evaluation and assessment of these various dimensions will help to keep the pressures up for quality and excellence. There is a clear need for some agency or agencies to ensure this in a rigorous professional manner.
Currently there are limited number of institutions looking into all this, in India. Indian Institute of Public Administration; Indian Institute of Personnel Management come easily to mind.
There is space and need for more. Earlier of Planning Commission used to take the lead in all this now NITI Aayog needs to do this with greater vigor.
Enabling parity across professions in India would not only be a concern but would have to an essential ingredient of the growth of professionalism.
Put simply professions give rise to their own local and international benchmarks. All this and more is an essential part of the growth of professions. In India, there is scope for deeper professional attention.
(The writer is an internationally renowned management consultant. Views are personal)
