During the British raj in India, District Gazetteers was a document maintained at the district level for geographic, economic, social and cultural records. The same fell into disuse after India attained its independence. The District Gazetteers was first initiated by the East India Company in year 1803.
In the coming days many might find this revival attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as being regressive and many will vehemently defend it as being progressive. I might not be a diehard Modi fan but for this I feel it is a good step. Many who have been following me will be astonished with this statement from me. Yes, I am an ardent advocate of decentralisation and this attempt of the PMO to interfere at district level bypassing the federal structure certainly seems adverse to my advocacy but nevertheless, I still feel it is a good step.
We might spend billions of rupees in publicizing the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ but the way of life in India as on date is that we have filth all around us. Similarly, idealistically I wish to have decentralisation of power to attain true democracy but the way of life as on date in India is that we have a heavy centralized rule. Reality is that our nation moves on three nodal points DM, CM and PM.
I do not know if the revival of the District Gazetteers will actually withstand the storm of political adversaries of Prime Minister Modi and finally come to conclusion but should this happen it shall map a lot of details enabling a swifter delivery of Modi’s vision document. However, I must clarify here that I do not fully endorse the vision exhibited in the past 500-odd days by the'Modi Sarkar thus one might feel that this mapping will enable the play of the flawedIJ Yes, possibly, but never the less the districts, the States and the nation will have a concrete record to assess and deliver. We must not forget the British rule or misrule whatever you choose to be with, even in those days, with no modern day transportation, communication etc.
we had a much stronger delivery system than that of the present day. India was much more fragmented and much more plural in those days but that did not stop the British to effectively deliver ‘their’ agendas.
(The writer is a noted socio-political leader and chairman of SNSMT)