I will share views through self-explanatory questions. Nevertheless we should not hold a fixed view.
The first question is: What is the scope of this policy formulation process.
Would there be a policy document at the end of it, of all the efforts which you do?
Should not it end in the up-scaling of an alternate paradigm?
In our earlier engagements, we have seen that we need to put more energy into up-scaling the paradigm. This energy will not only consume you but also exhaust you. But we are compelled to continue our efforts.
We have seen a lot of policy documents, but they hardly have any impact, and much of the reforms is still lying in the books. But this is not the point of debate.
The question is: what should be the scope of the policy formulation process. Assuming that this process towards the alternative paradigm is very cumbersome, what are the milestones of this process? If it is possible to describe the steps, the milestones, then it will be easier to check whether and how far we have travelled in this journey.
I would like to indicate a few milestones or steps as an illustration. But after that we have to map out where we stand in the area of our own expertise and the agenda with which we are working.
To indicate a few steps or milestones: Designing the policy document is obviously the first step. What is crucial is the new kind of support systems (institutions?) which are needed in order to upscale the new paradigm. The existing support systems will not take you anywhere as far as the paradigm is concerned. Do we have clarity about what we want and what are the kinds of support systems that we require?
The conventional paradigm has a series of support systems, be it subsidy, infrastructure, price support, PDS and so on. Then we have the factories and the subsidies to the factories and all these things. Some of you may say that none of these support systems are with you, then what do you have with you? In this case the statement of policy will not lead you anywhere. A statement of policy in its political sense will only satisfy intellectuals.
Support system would include designing of the project schemes or the project guidelines, and dealing with the government and see that they are implemented. What should be the organisations outside the government like people organisations. And the last point is the main point for which I have made this background.
I have a lot of difficulty in relating with other colleagues. Some one made a presentation on energy someone made a presentation on irrigation floods and all that. It is possible for me to comprehend all these. But in this workshop we are not talking about the technicalities of the themes each of us is interested in. We are talking about the processes through which up-scaling of an alternate paradigm will take place. And I know there are many businesses where up-scaling will not take place automatically. There are some experiences gathered. What I am trying to say is that we realise that there is a possibility of coming closer to each other even though we may not understand each other's businesses. It is now possible that for up-scaling, process of policy formulation, we could align ourselves to say ten steps or milestones. And for each of these steps, we need say ten different types of skills. Someone would have skills for step number one and the other for step number two. So can we voluntarily start assuming roles, which fit our skills so that we can be helpful to each other? This is our main concern.