Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia interacted with the students of Ashoka University at an online “master class” on Entrepreneurship in Governance and shared the success stories of the Delhi Government.
While interacting with students on how they can impact policies and get involved in governance, Sisodia said “If you want to be a part of the change, we should not shy away from joining politics. The government needs skilled and knowledgeable professionals.”
Sharing his vision on governance, the deputy chief minister said that “People like me are dreamers and so we work hard to make those dreams come true,”
On policy-level-interventions in governments, Sisodia explained that it is important for students to understand that for a successful policy, “the public bind” is essential. “During the Right to Information Act movement, lawmakers, and policy makers involved us. I was not in politics then but we mobilised enough people, and stakeholders to create a policy pressure group on the government. When the government heard us, it was a positive sign for the policy,” Sisodia said.
He emphasised that there are many ways in which young professionals can get involved with policy-making.
Sisodia encouraged students to not shy away from politics. He said, “You do not have to necessarily stand in elections, but by simply becoming a member or even a party worker, you can engage in various departments where work on research, analysis, and policy-drafts is being done regularly. Use the skills of your education to work at grass-roots levels; that is where the real changes happen.”
Citing Mohalla Clinics, and “Door-Step Delivery Services” as examples of how simple ideas were adapted by the Delhi Government, he said, “This is another way in which one needs to be entrepreneurial while working in the government. How can we ease the running of the system, and does it help the public at-large? The scale is important in governance.”
Sisodia also shed light on how the Skills and Entrepreneurship University in Delhi looks to fix that gap between job-seekers, and job-creators.
