Middle ground is no ground

From Minding their own business by P. Vaidyanathan Iyer

• It is an unfortunate fact that bureaucrats are not sector experts, and hence, not the right fit. They are instead trained to be good administrators. The brighter among them manage to grasp the issues within a few months, but in this age of rapid change and innovation, the government can no longer afford to give regulators the luxury of time. 

So what is the solution, yes there is no other solution in the short period say at least next 15 years. But think of the following:

• It may not be that difficult to get academics, but they carry with them the baggage of too much theory and too little practical experience. For private sector stars, money is not the only driver. It is also the prestige attached to such seats. Besides offering decent compensation — which could be a middle ground between staid public sector salaries and lucrative private sector packages, the government must create an environment that allows them to function independently and effectively. The esteem value can go up only when the government goes that extra mile to give private sector achievers an impression that their expertise will be respected and made good use of. Perhaps we are not there yet.