JARNAIL  SINGH

With Four Prime Ministers by Jarnail Singh ;

 Published by Konark ; Pages 288 ; Price Rs 695/-

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The author of the book under review Shri.Jarnail Singh is a 1974 batch IAS officer belonging to the Manipur-Tripura cadre. Important positions held by him include Chief Secretary of Manipur , Joint Secretary to PM and Secretary to Government of India. Post retirement, he worked as Adviser to Chief Minister, Manipur . As Joint Secretary, Jarnail Singh served four Prime Ministers—H.D. Deve Gowda, I.K. Gujral, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh—and handled matters relating to various ministries and states. His eight-year-stint in the PMO is among the longest by any officer. It was during these years that major economic development initiatives were taken in Power, Petroleum and Natural Gas, National Highways and Road Communications, Telecommunications, Civil Aviation, different social sectors and for development of the North-East.

Jarnail Singh received the PM’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration for the year 2007-08 for the initiatives taken to improve the governance in Manipur. He has earlier written a book  "My Tryst with Manipur" about his 23 years of public service experiences in Manipur.

Jarnail Singh holds BSc Engineering (Hons) and MSc Engineering (Distinction) degrees in Electrical Engineering from Panjab University, Chandigarh and Masters in Public Administration in Public Policy and Management from John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA.

The curiosity around what really goes on in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has refused to die down since its inception in 1947.This book satiates the curiosity to some extent. It is a fascinating account of the inner working of the office of the Prime Minister. The ethos and ethical standards to be maintained in PMO are an eye-opener. His pen portraits and personal anecdotes of the four completely different Prime Ministers make the book a must read. Policymakers and bureaucrats have a lot to learn from the insights on the functioning of government that Jarnail Singh has penned down. He has provided an excellent account of the functioning of the fulcrum of executive governance with focus on the pivotal role of civil servants like him, mostly unseen and unsung. Not only civil servants but also students of governance would immensely benefit from the narrative All four prime ministers were impressed by Singh’s sincerity, dedication and the kind of clarity with which he handled challenging tasks in PMO. His integrity apart, he was always immune to extra-curricular influences that civil servants come to experience in their career. His mantra was to quote the Rule Book, do only what it permits and sleep well.

This book affords an insight into working styles of the four Prime Ministers Deva Gowda, Gujral, Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.

Jarnail Singh’s personal narrative is pieced together from the journal that he maintained during his years in service. It gives a detailed account of the factors involved in the functioning of the PMO while also reflecting the individual contribution of each prime minister to the country.

Gowda initiated a number of measures to develop the North-Eastern states and these included the Indira Gandhi Institute of Health and Medical Research, upgradations of airports,Turial Hydroelectric Project.The initiative of Deve Gowda became a Deve Gowda Mantra for development of the North-East.

Gujral concentrated on improving relations with Pakistan. Gujral was a hard-core democrat  who believed in the rule of law. Politically he was a light weight and many people tried to take advantage of this weakness. His government fell after the Report of the Jain Commission on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

The longest period Jarnail Singh served in the PMO was with Vapayee as Prime Minister.These years traced in the book stand out for economic development and opening up of many sectors of the Indian economy. Listing the major initiatives Jarnail Singh terms the A.B. Vajpayee period from March 1998 to May 2004 as a ‘Golden Era’ for infrastructure and economic development in the history of India. It witnessed several developments like major economic initiatives,opening of new highways.the Delhi Metro, Chandrayaan I,energy sector advances. Pokhran II was the most important decision during his period. The Lahore Declaration was a commitment to peace but was violated by a vengeful neigbour.

Vajpayee was the unchallenged leader of the BJP—and at the same time at ease with leaders of all political parties. Decision making was much quicker and firm under Vajpayee.

Jarnail Singh’s short term with Dr.Manmohan Singh witnessed the development of North-Eastern states and some progress in irrigation projects.

The other key highlight of the book is the way Jarnail Singh has traced the policy continuation or otherwise under the four prime ministers, especially in major infrastructure development sectors, Jammu and Kashmir and the NE states. He also discusses some of the missteps taken during these years.Two items command our attention.There was a lack of knowledge among the Senior Officers of the Government about Government rules. He also noticed that any initiative from the PMO was immediately accepted and action taken immediately.

Jarnail Singh displays a clear understanding of what factors contribute to the successful administration of the world’s largest democracy.

This book throws a flood of light on how Governments work and forms a base for historians to study this crucial period in Indian history.

P.P.Ramachandran

12/04/2020.

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