Indian Political Economy in the 21st Century- Book Review

The book "Indian Political Economy in the 21st Century'- Facets and Challenges written by Dr G.R. Krishnamurthy (GR Krishna Cogineni) is predominantly an assemblage of the talks given by the professor over the years in national and international conferences. It traces the economic development in the country starting from the first five year plan made after independence (which focused on agriculture)  to the present economic scenario. The book has been divided into four parts :  Part I discusses the core sector challenges, Part II Economy and society in transition , Part III India's foreign trade and relations and part IV Professional and ethical management & Governance strategy. 

When I studied B.A. Economics for my graduation in the late seventies, our discussions centered around aspects such as Indian agriculture being "a gamble of the rains" and the problems of  fragmentation of agricultural land  resulting from division of land  among heirs on the death of a patriarch. Heavy dependence on the rain God has continued to be a problem in spite of  a few early dam projects like Bhakra  Nangal in the state of Punjab/ Himachal  Pradesh.  The  noted economist V.K.R.V. Rao had suggested the linking and channelizing of rivers in the country appropriately to avoid flooding in the eastern part  and making it available to the rain deficit states. His proposal was not immediately accepted by politicians who were concerned more about which state would get more from the project. Finally it had to be abandoned since the original cost estimates had gone up by many times as we dilly dallied on the decision making.

Dr Krishna gives us  a ring side view of the problems faced in the villages, particularly by  women who are the backbone of society. Women's economic empowerment through  micro finance is a positive development that has opened up  the possibilities of women's entrepreneurship and development. It not only provides her with access to incomes and assets but also decision making power at home and community activities. It was a model successfully adopted in Bangladesh by Prof  Muhammad Yunus, banker and social entrepreneur through his Grameen banks  that won him a Nobel Peace prize in 2006. I am sharing here a video of an address given by Prof Yunus at the Ashoka University at Sonipat Haryana, about the practical problems at the village level and how he went about solving them. It is very relevant to part I of our book under review. 

In India, the micro finance model is sought to be implemented with the help of Self Help Groups(SHGs) consisting of 15 to 20 poor rural women . The book discusses the extent of success of the schemes and the problems and criticisms that need to be addressed. Adequate support network is most essential  for its success. The dynamics of caste in the village has been explained  with a case study of an Andhra village panchayat .It  gives readers an authentic feel of the reality of life in the villages and the challenges involved. 

The economic liberalization and the socio- cultural transformation in India is another important subject that is discussed in the book. According to the author, after the launch of the economic liberalization program in 1991, India showed an impressive growth rate of 6 to 7% per annum for 25 years till 2016. For 45 years prior, it only had a growth rate of 3% per annum. The information technology boom contributed to 50% of GDP of the whole country. He says "The middle class and the rich are the largest beneficiaries of the fruits of economic growth". some of the impact of this development include increase in the registered motor vehicles from around 2 crores to 16 crores during the initial two decades of liberalization (1991-2011), India became a prominent player in the global IT scenario. Every third Indian began to be seen in someway as coming under the bracket "Middle class" kindling the interest of the world for India as a destination for foreign direct investment(FDI). 

Dr Krishna says that economic prosperity has brought with it some changes in social and cultural aspects in the country - with materialistic consumerism becoming  a way of life,  there is "no personal relationships and no family bonds and many Indians including teenagers, children, senior citizens began to feel loneliness and alienation in their lives"  leading to psychological frustration and psychiatric problems. The divorce and crime rate also rose. On the one side, there was economic upward  mobility while on the other, there has been an increase in unemployment due to our education system failing to produce people who are employable  as they lack the required skills. A sense of 'aimlessness' has gripped the youth.  In the author's words "India a land of Buddha, Ambedkar and Mahatma needs a different kind of social transformation than an American or European  model. Our economic growth has not resulted in a type of social transformation which is India soul centered". 

The book also discusses at length the challenges of  human resource development in Indian organizations underscoring the need for imparting better skills, competencies and attitudes with a  focus on improving the very 'quality of life' of human resources.  The managerial focus and strategies are discussed in the chapter titled " Productivity in Indian Public sector undertakings (PSUs). Human resources need to seen as "creators of development" rather than as one of its residuals and a deliberate process should be in place for their empowerment. Curriculum restructuring has been suggested as a must  for excellence in management education. Other economic subjects deliberated on, in the book include the trends in FDI investment in India and China, ASEAN and India and  the significance of the BRIC countries in the global economy.

The book  highlights the role and importance of small industries which are an important source of employment.  Dr Krishna notes that "Roughly 90 small scale units fall sick everyday in India". some of the solutions suggested to meet the challenges faced by small units are a comprehensive package for revival, withdrawal of all arbitrary recover proceedings, creation of a separate bank to cater to the working capital needs of SSIs (Small scale industries), exemption of taxes in rural and backward areas. Purchases on preferential basis, all Government requirements from SSIs, creation of separate marketing yards for selling the products of SSIs and small producers, Free legal aid to small entrepreneurs etc.   

In the last chapter, a third approach to development attributed to Ganhiji has been discussed as the need of the times. Gandhiji had advocated industrialization and adoption of technology "commensurate with the needs, ethos and tradition of the Indian population, economy and society, particularly the peasantry." The efficacy of  latest developments in the economic front brought in by the NDA 2.0 Government on its assumption of power in 2014, has not been analysed in detail in the book since it is only  after some time has lapsed that the real impact of a policy or action will be known and can be measured. The author has therefore discussed  it in the beginning of the book under " Prologue". 

The NDA 2.0 Government has   announced an ambitious goal of making India a $5 trillion economy.According to the author "PM Modi has taken some drastic but highly controversial measures like demonetization, introduction of GST etc. Though taken with  noble objectives, did these measures achieve the goals?" is a question that needs to be answered. He has cited some parameters to show a decline in many areas with a slide "in overall GDP growth from 8% a year ago to 5 % in 2019. Covid 19 has now added to our woes and things are bound to get more difficult in the near future before we are able to bounce back.

" Indian Political Economy in the 21st Century" is a very comprehensive book touching  upon various aspects that has  impacted the Indian economy over the years with some prescriptions on the way forward. At many points while reading the book I found myself thinking "If only I had such an exhaustive book thoroughly covering so many aspects, when we were  students!". I am sure that the libraries of management schools and colleges offering B.A./B.com. courses would find this book a valuable addition to their bookshelves. It is laced with case studies and plenty of statistics on the subjects discussed. If there is anything I would have liked more, it is an elaboration of the "Third path approach" of Gandhiji with  inputs from present day economists on how useful and feasible it would be for India to implement today and the extent of its acceptability given the present mood of the nation.

 Personally, I am inclined to agree with the author that a balanced approach is the need of the hour, particularly now that  we have seen how greed has done great harm to the economy of capitalist countries like USA. Many of our citizens in rural areas would not leave their homes to come to urban areas if they had good opportunities for a decent living in terms of economic and other facilities in their native place. To that extent the pressure on the resources in the towns and cities would have been less. In this context we would do well to keep in mind the dream of the  people's president APJ Abdul Kalam for  PURA ( Provision of Urban amenities in Rural areas) so that all Indians will enjoy a high quality of life. This would also be in line with the aspirations of more and more young Indians who are articulating a desire to be and have the best they can! 

NB: The highly informative and insightful book " Indian Political Economy in the 21st Century" can be bought through this link.

 https://www.amazon.in/Indian-Political-Economy-21st-Century/dp/B085FWKXRD 

Curiosity creates Creativity

In this blog I am sharing the gist of the webinar organized by Mr Prakash Sharma of Bija Training under the Mask leadership series on 6th January 2021. The speaker was Mr sanjay Chandel, SrVP(HR), Sterling

Curiosity and creativity are mutually reinforcing qualities.  Being curious is the foundation stone of creativity. The creativity process is initiated from a place of being curious. When you give an idea a shape it becomes innovation. You take inputs from various sources and create something new and original. As for example, you could brainstorm and come out with fifty ideas. Innovating is all about translating into action the workable ideas generated. Tesla came out with a car with basically battery and software and very few mechanical parts.  Presently, with many employees working from home innovative ways of working are being explored and encouraged.  

To a question as to how creativity can be kindled, the speaker said that while humans are at their creative peek up to the ages of  5- 6 years, by age 40  creativity tends to decline to only around 2%. Getting into a routine or predetermined ways, stifle creativity. Organizations are generally designed to administer and work in a regimented manner. Today, there is a sea change in the way people work for a company.  They don’t work for the same company for 35 years. The shelf life of skills also is now only 5 to 6 years. Many organizations become redundant as the changes happening  within the organization is less than the changes happening outside.   

Creativity today is not a choice but a necessity. It is no longer about competition coming from within the industry. It can come from totally unexpected places surprising you  with new business models such as  Uber/ Ola in the  taxi  and  Airbnb/ Oyo in hospitality industries.  One has to have an ear to the ground and be humble to be able to learn. There is a need for creativity to be intentional with a framework. One should be willing and able to use tools like design thinking and Gemba walk  (walk around the place where value is being created meaning see actual process, understand work, ask questions and learn).

There is the need for businesses to be tuned to reality. We have seen a well established brand like Nokia disappear for want of agility within a span of two years of products like I phone appearing. Similarly Tesla gave a run for its money to cars like BMW in the luxury car segment. Creativity  and agility go hand in hand . One cannot be complacent in the dynamic times that we live in. In the US, the established car companies  manufacturing huge cars did not take seriously the entry of smaller sized cars in the belief that Americans (to whom  cheap gas was available) would always prefer large cars.  

 In fact the plea by an employee of Chevrolet company for manufacturing small cars was dismissed by the company. He was however, proved right when Hyundai and Japanese companies made a dent in the market offering smaller cars. The best of organizations are always open to listening to their employees. When an employee had suggested introduction of cappuccino coffee, Starbucks initially discouraged him. Later, when it was introduced as a trial, it turned out to be its highest selling product.

 To another question as to whether having a deadline would be a deterrent to creativity, the speaker said  his answer would be ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ and that it would depend on circumstances. Although deadlines can sometimes be stifling, it may be necessary when quick solutions are demanded. As for example some companies brainstormed and came up with quick responses when they were given only a week’s time to switch over to "work from home" on the Covid 19 pandemic striking the world.  Similarly vaccines normally take 5 to 10 years to be developed. In view of the present emergency the period had to be crunched and the scientists rose to the occasion. Thus it all depends on the context. The speaker signed off with the remark “ This is the best time to try out ideas.” The discussion of the evening was very insightful and enlightening. 

Delegate to Elevate

This article was originally written  for the E newsletter of APCRE (Association for Promotion of Competitive and Responsible Enterprises), an association dedicated  to promoting latest techniques and tools for facilitating the Indian Industries in General and MSMEs in particular for being Globally Competitive and Socially Responsible. In order to meet the space constraints of the newsletter, a slightly abridged version of this article was provided to them. 

The Mask Leadership series is a weekly rendezvous arranged by Mr Praksah sharma, Founder Director, Bija Training, between  customers of his company/ invitees  and experienced industry leaders. It seeks to share wisdom gained by the leaders over a period of  many years. On 7th October 2020, the speaker was Mr Rohit Toshniwal, Managing Director of Toshniwal , a Group of companies engaged in manufacture, import and export of high quality instruments like Vcone meter, Liquid ring vacuum pump, paddle mixer cum dryer etc..  He spoke on the topic "Delegate to Elevate"  

At the outset, the speaker  observed that the times have changed and that a shift is happening in the approach of management. Instead of relying on the traditional theory of heroic leadership  it is moving towards / looking at post heroic leadership theories. Today the workforce is a lot more flexible and agile. They expect to be trusted.

It would be pertinent for us to understand the theories of Heroic Leadership and post heroic Leadership. The dominant leadership paradigm of the industrial era was to view the leader as a hero who visualizes the future, defines and communicates the strategy, inspires and motivates those who are led, assigns roles, evaluates and rewards people  according to their performance. In short everything is handled by the hero/leader. The new environment requires a different approach to leadership. The "Carrot and stick" approach no longer works with the arrival of  a new generation of workers who are more connected, wish to have their say and have easy access to information.   

As we look at a post leadership scenario, the topic of "Delegate to Elevate" becomes very relevant and important. In this regard, some of the questions that may come up are what are the things that can be delegated? To whom and to what extent can it be done? A person may ideally wish to have a number of his clones in various departments who would work and act exactly like him. The reality however, is quite different. It is not possible to source and recruit people who thinks and acts exactly as you do. It may not even be in the best interests of the organization if divergent views are not expressed. I had read in a management book some time back that "People will nod 'Yes' to everything you say and then go back and do what they believe is right thing to do" Therefore, it is important to take everyone along explaining to them the reasons for taking decisions  instead of simply ordering them around.  

Mr Toshniwal said that we need to first look at what exactly it is that “we want to achieve"?  Having a tangible vision will provide the direction on the matter of delegation. In this regard two way communication is very important as it enables exchange of ideas between people. Delegation should evolve gradually, as you develop the team. After defining the task, you can start out by giving incremental opportunities and responsibilities, increasing it as the delegated person rises to the requirements and expectations.  A question that was put to the speaker at this stage was “How does one handle the insecurity involved while delegating?" Often the boss or the one wielding the power is reluctant to let go. Here, one has to develop the maturity to accept the situation, step back and consciously look at the larger goal of the organization to be able to delegate. The team also should be aware of the big picture. 

In order to remove insecurity or lack of confidence  on the part of the person to whom delegation is made, chatting up and providing reassurance will go a long way in removing doubts or fears. To a question as to whether there was an occasion when a delegation attempt went wrong, Mr Toshniwal  gave an instance. The communication with overseas principals was being handled only by the middle and senior level management. It was decided to open up the activity to young engineers. However, the youngsters got a little carried away and there was a mismatch of culture resulting in the overseas customers labeling an engineer as rude and non cooperative. The engineer who had been excited about the opportunity also became frustrated and unhappy. However, in the area of marketing, particularly in digital marketing, delegation was found to be very successful.  

Effective delegation is about hand holding while at the same time being articulate about what you want. Lack of time is no excuse for not delegating. It is also possible to be influenced by complacency with thoughts like "Everything is going on well presently. Why upset the apple cart?" What you need to do is to take people out of their comfort zones and encourage them to deliver and they will.  Delegation can be used as an important tool for preparing people as part of succession planning. Mr Toshniwal signed off by stating that making the organization inclusive is very important. The failure of Blackberry as a company was on account of its rigid structure. 'Trust' is the key for success!

 I found the proceedings of the evening very interesting. It is heartening to note that Mr Rohit Toshniwal  although  MD of a company that started  as a family business and enjoyed success for over seven decades,  finds it prudent  to acknowledge  the importance of  post heroic leadership concepts for the present times . Many business schools are yet to sufficiently incorporate changes to their curricula on these lines. There is a lure in the theory of heroic leadership where the hero or a few at the top has all the answers. In the present dynamic times when we have to deal with a VUCA world, it may not be personal characteristics of leaders that matter most but the quality of relationships between the leader and followers. The focus needs to change accordingly so that 'delegation and elevation' happen naturally and effortlessly.

The Power of Questions

I attended a webinar on 23rd December 2020 organized by Mr Praksah Sharma, Founder Director, Bija Training under their Mask Leadership initiative. The speaker was Mr Yadugireesh.Rajagopal - Head OD Ashok Leyland on the " The Power of  Questions".   At the very outset the speaker declared that asking questions enhanced the leadership skills of not only the one asking the questions but also of the person who is answering them. Questions are powerful because they create change. Questions create transformation, inspire innovation and result in true change. They are powerful because they help to engage in focused thinking. Breakthrough answers are possible when you engage in focused thinking.   

Mr Yadugireesh said that in terms of  innovation and creativity,  he has been able to elicit from  crowd sourced questions  far better answers than those he could have come up by himself as an individual. The answers are to be encouraged with provision for a  wild freedom to respond so that they do not  resemble answers in response to questions from a question bank. To a query as to whether the "Power of questions" includes questions that may be posed by a junior to his boss, he said that a lot depends on the environment and culture promoted in the company. The key is not only to ask questions yourself, but also encouraging others to ask questions.  

Here, we should  keep in mind that it is not only about the question per se , (whether posed by a leader, junior or peer)  but the manner in which it is asked is equally important. The way the question is asked should be encouraging and supportive for eliciting answers. The person asked the question (say about a task that needs to be done) should not feel so  intimidated that he is unable to freely respond to it. Another query was whether questions should be asked  about what  happened in the past or on the future course of action, Mr Yadugireesh said that it is important to go to the past, learn from failure and ensure  that the mistakes are not repeated. However, it is more important to focus on being futuristic. Therefore, what is required is a blend of questions about the past and future with more focus on future.  

It is necessary to create a climate of asking and answering questions in a non threatening environment. This  can be achieved by preparing people before asking the question so that they get used to dealing with them. It also  involves courageous authenticity ( guts to broach difficult subjects/ be able to listen to unpleasant feedback/ behave in congruity with one's beliefs) which may be difficult but most essential for the kind of culture the organization is seeking to build. When you have a free and fair environment of asking and answering questions, periodic discussions naturally happen with the boss as to where the person is  going in terms of the objectives. You don't need to wait till appraisal time to know how you are doing. 

The speaker said that "Coaching" has become a buzz word these days. Yet, it is to be kept in mind that effective coaching is all about 'asking the right questions' and not about 'giving advice.' The coachee should be able to come to his /her own insights, learning or answers. If the coach gives advice, the onus of solutions shifts to the coach, defeating the very purpose of empowering the person being coached. Great coaches ask great questions.  

The webinar was a very rewarding experience wherein the speaker underscored the importance of constant and regular communication in the organization which in turn provides the fertile ground for a culture of "asking questions" to blossom and thrive! 

Crucial Conversations

I attended an online talk on 16th December 2020 organized by Mr Praksah Sharma, Founder Director, Bija Training under their Mask Leadership initiative. The speaker was Mr Pandian Palaniappan - GM National Sales Training Hyundai Motor India Ltd on the topic "Crucial Conversations".  Mr Pandian said the topic  for the day  was selected inspired by the book "Crucial conversations - Tools for talking when stakes are high" by Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny. Explaining the concept of crucial conversations he said that the following situations can be held as crucial- (1)  when dealing with opposing opinions (2) When stakes are very high and (3) When  high emotions are involved. He gave the "performance appraisal discussions" as an example of crucial conversations. 

How to handle crucial conversations: The first step is to recognize the conversation as a crucial conversation. It is seen that when emotions enter into the conversation, the logical brain doesn't work. It either tends to turn silent (not saying what you want) or engages in an emotional outburst which also results in not getting what you wanted to achieve through the conversation. It is important for leaders to be aware that they are  entering into a crucial conversation and be prepared for it. The speaker gave an example of Mr Muralidhar Rao who was his leader when he worked for NIS Sparta. If during a discussion, he realized that he had lost his cool , Mr Rao would announce " When I count from 1 to 10  I want everyone of you  in the room to disappear. We can come back and discuss this later". 

Just as it is important for the leader to be aware about himself/herself, he/she should also be empathetic and be  aware of the emotional state of team members. One can look out for tell tale signs such as a team  member 'gulping down glasses of water'- could it be due to  emotional  stress? The leader can create a safe environment in which  team members can share issues if they feel like it. 

Mr Pandian said that the principles involving crucial conversations would apply equally  to the interactions at home. Perceptions of individuals differ. A husband who is coming home after a hard day's work, looks forward to relaxing at home . When his wife who was watching a serial on TV goes to the kitchen to prepare tea, he changes the channel to watch his favourite cricket telecast. The wife is annoyed on returning . She feels that after being tied down to the house and working all day long,  she is denied the  only source of relief and entertainment, the moment her husband  arrives. The conflict can take the form of heightened emotional levels. 

In such a situation, it would be advisable to probe deeper as to what the real problem is. Is it just changing of TV channels or are there deeper issues? Are you inadvertently bringing home 5 S concepts from work and insisting that every room be spic and span all the time? Or is it about your always coming  back from work with a frown on your face? The issues are to be separated and addressed individually instead of seeing it as a big package of discontent. Instead of thinking I am OK, the other person is not OK ask the question “why is this person behaving the way she/he is?"  When you go by the belief that all human beings are basically good and humanize them , things begin to look a lot less problematic.

 In this connection the speaker shared his experience of frequently finding a two wheeler parked at this car parking place in the apartment. As he left early in the morning and returned late in the evening, he was not able to meet the 'culprit' who was doing it. Each time the scooter had to be removed before he could park his car and he internally cursed the guy who was causing so much of annoyance. However, one day he decided to follow the maxim of "humanizing" him and not think of the guy as stupid or a villain. He left a written note on the scooter explaining that it was his parking place and that the wrong parking was causing him a lot of bother.  The speaker was surprised to get a reply note apologizing for the misdeed, explaining that he had thought it was a vacant parking place and assuring that it would not happen again. 

When you humanize other people, you are able to respond in a kinder manner. In the absence of empathy, things can sometimes times go terribly wrong.  I was reminded of the incident involving the cricketer Navjot singh Siddhu in December 1988, wherein he had  hit a 65 year old man after a heated argument over wrong parking resulting in the death of the senior citizen. Having a human story in place of a villain story makes all the difference. In crucial conversations, we would do well to revisit the facts rather than the emotions of the story before engaging in a conversation.  

In webinars, at times conversations can ramble on aimlessly with the speaker talking  a little of this and a little of that of whatever comes to mind at the spur of the moment. However, the conversation of the evening was one of undiluted clarity as the speaker Mr Pandian was clear right from the beginning as to what he wanted to include in the discussion. It was laced with relevant examples to make it very engaging and interesting for the participants- truly a very rewarding experience! 

Towards a Self Disciplined and Result oriented Marketing culture

On 27th September 2020,  I attended a webinar organized By Mr Prakash Sharma Founder Director- Bija training under their Mask Leadership series. Under the series, accomplished leaders from the industry are invited to speak to an audience consisting of customers and invitees of Bija training, who are looking to enhance their leadership skills. The speaker of the day was Mr Kuldip Sharma, National head Sales and marketing of Amara Raja Batteries Ltd who gave insights on  developing a result oriented marketing culture.

Mr Kuldip sharma started out by saying that after the disruption caused by the covid 19 pandemic, his organization was recovering rapidly. The auto industry has seen an upturn post Covid in view of  people being reluctant to use public transport. Another aspect that went in the company's favour is an increase in demand for their batteries amongst those, (particularly employees in IT) who previously preferred to use imported brands. The company used the opportunity to win them over and convince them that the batteries made by them are equally good if not better.  

Moving on to the subject of sales, the speaker conceded that it is a very demanding job. Those working in this area have to be constantly on the go and cannot afford to relax. Excuses are not acceptable. A sales person is required to model himself on the "Hunter" rather than the "Farmer". A farmer tends to wait for the opportunity and right circumstances such as timely rains. The hunter on the other hand has to relentlessly pursue his target or he would have to go hungry. Similarly placed is a sales executive who needs to be a result oriented hunter. Mr sharma  said that there is a need for deep passion (He used the Hindi/ Urdu word "Junoon") peppered with discipline and effort. Halfhearted attempts simply won't do . " If you have the passion, opportunities will fall into place"  

The key word here is the effort. If  consistent efforts are put in, the results will come sooner or later. The speaker said that one has to ask oneself the question" Have I put in my 100%?" If the answer is yes, there is nothing to worry as results are bound to come. On the contrary if the answer is "No', suitable plan has to be devised and implemented giving your best shot consistently. 

Another thing that is very crucial to success is "Team effort". Nobody can work by himself and hope to succeed in the long run. Contribution by everyone is important. The speaker gave an instance of  an activity of  picking up as much rice as possible from a bag that one hand can hold wherein a condition is stipulated that you cannot use the little finger . It is obvious that a lot more quantity can be held in the hand if the little finger is also available for use. Many companies talk about teamwork but when it comes to compensation, individual contributions are valued. Therefore I asked a question as to what is being done in the company to enhance teamwork which has been identified by them as a key factor for success?. It was heartening to receive Mr sharma's reply. He said " In Amara, all incentives are team based". Practicing what we preach is so very important. 

The speaker concluded his talk with the declaration that "Self motivation is the key". He advised participants  to keep investing in themselves for learning new skills, understanding new fields and constantly upgrading oneself. The discussion  during the evening was matter of fact, yet insightful underscoring the basics for building a result oriented marketing culture in organizations. Indeed, it was a very rewarding experience!   

NB: Readers working in marketing may like to also read my post on "Dhakad Marketing" at this link   

https://hrdian.blogspot.com/2020/06/dhakad-marketing-how-to-build-brands.html 

Glimpses from the United Nations Virtual Forum Discussions

The United Nations Virtual Forum on Responsible Business and Human Rights : New Challenges New Approaches (for  Asia and the Pacific) happened from 9th to 12th June 2020. These webinar discussions  are to be seen in the light of the concerted efforts of UN to strive for responsible business and human rights discourse in Asia and the pacific. 

In 2020, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (UNWG), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and United Nations Economic and Social commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) have joined forces to provide further stimulus in this regard.  

As the conference was held virtually this year on account of the Pandemic Covid 19, it afforded an opportunity  for a larger and wider audience to participate from around the world. I registered for and attended four of the many sessions that were available. I chose the sessions  based on the relevance of the topic to India and  those with a panel that included Indians or persons of Indian origin so that more insights relevant to our country could be gained. In this blog, I propose to give the gist of what was discussed rather than who said what. The topics of the sessions attended were (1) Overcoming Human Rights challenges (2) Managing Human risks in supply chain (3) Business in times of disruption and (4) Responsible business and human rights.

• Companies have a big impact on people around the world. The process of Globalization  has necessitated Human rights policies. The UN operating practices are required to be reinforced by the states. There is a need for industry to respect HR, redesign and restructure supply chain to protect human rights. It is essential to promote, respect and remedy.  
• The sustainable development goals of UN are to be pursued relentlessly and continuously, monitoring the risks and opportunities (The sustainable development goals are a collection of 17 global goals designed to be a " a blue print to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs  set in 2015 by the United Nations General assembly and intended to be achieved by the year 2030 are part of a UN resolution called the "2030 Agenda")    
• It is necessary to work closely with Governments to develop a National plan which in turn can help industries to develop framework and implement.  
• The labour challenges such as the ones thrown up by the pandemic can be addressed by looking at the root causes much before a crisis strikes- issues such as low wages/ under payment, non access to social security systems,  non access to food and nutrition.  
• The Covid 19 experience has dealt a blow to the motivation of migrant workmen to come and work in cities. Their trust is to be regained. Those returning should not be stigmatized. Companies should follow ethical recruitment practices. More information should be provided during the the on boarding process and Governments should intervene to ensure improved living conditions.  
• Covid 19 crisis has thrown up problems such as orders being cancelled by buyers, inability of many companies to pay workmen and the problems faced by migrant workmen.  
• A panel member said that in the Brisbane area in Australia vulnerable communities such as the aboriginals and indigenous communities living in remote areas have not been adequately educated on the importance of social distancing. There is a need of a separate fund to support them.
• A survey was initiated to understand how suppliers are affected as also the migrant workers. Migrant workmen have been stranded in international locations and are living in dormitories. Based on information obtained from the survey, follow up calls/ video calls were made with suppliers.  However, face to face interaction with workers have not been possible.    
• An innovation that happened in a company during the Covid setback, is that training was organized through QR code with participation of suppliers.  
• Another thing that Coco Cola did was not to stop their financial audits but to conduct them virtually - 20,000 audits in 200 countries. In a couple of regions follow up assignments were also taken up with third party audio and video facility. As the exercise was very encouraging the company feels that in future this method can be used to supplement the activity if not to  supplant it.   
• This is the time to examine cross sectoral collaboration. As for example in expenditure on CSR activity can be collaboratively made by companies to address major social concerns. This enables chipping  in by more than one company. Collaboration from impact investors could also come wherein finance can be extended at reasonable rates to manufacturers for the environment sustainability programs . The Government can also involve and contribute in this regard.    
• As Covid 19 has resulted in many people returning to their villages, scouting for local work force has become necessary and reverse migration could be a solution.  
• The challenges of the changed scenario would be meeting an increased demand  when the opening up happens, which would put a huge pressure on the supply chain. One has to be vigilant about increased working hours and increase in overtime working. Another problem that could come up is harassment. When more hiring happens once the economies open up, it is necessary to see that the foreign migrant workers are ethically recruited.  
• There tends to be a modern slavery of migrant foreign workmen. This happens when their supply is more as against the demand. Detailed study of the situation in the Middle East in 2007 revealed many wrong practices such as retention of the passports of workmen by employers, collecting fee for applying/ securing job, manipulation of contract etc. The auditory programs that followed provided for updated policies to avoid such practices.  
• One of the solutions to the kind of problems faced by migrant workmen in India during the Covid crisis is to start industries in the source states like Bihar and Jharkhand.  Reskilling and reintegration policies need to be developed. The Government should keep some emergency funds for handling industry upheavals.  
• Communication plays an important role in assuaging the anxieties and concerns of all those affected.The job issues  of white collared  employees also need to be addressed. National plan for businesses in India in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of UN is most essential. Empathy is the need of the hour.  
• The pandemic magnified social inequalities in the society with many job losses. Asian migrant workers and informal economy workers were affected the most. Earning from foreign countries was severely impacted with 9 million Bangladeshis, 10 million Indians, 1 million Nepalese working abroad, losing their livelihood. They tend to be stigmatized even when they come back. Further, it is not economically  possible  to stay back and not return  in  view of the uncertainty.  
• Protecting people is critical  more so in supply chain ( 70% of the work happens here) . In this connection industries, such as Petronas,  an oil and gas company based out of Malaysia have gone into manufacture of medical equipment such as ventilators to meet requirements of the day. Focus should be on strengthening finances and on the resolve to come through this period.   
• Companies have been receptive to their employees working from home, post Covid. Surveys show that travel, hotel and tourism industries have been hit the most. Crisis has enhanced the opportunities of businesses in the field of mask making and other medical equipment. 
•  This is a wake up call to business to make alternative plans. 
• It is however a fact that only large businesses may be able to plan long term and act in a more responsible manner. Malaysia's Petronas and a company in Bangladesh have adapted to the situation and are now manufacturing products like medical equipment  that meet the current needs. 
• Matching skills of your workmen with skills required by other companies will come in handy to help them find jobs when the company no longer needs them. It is to be noted that the scheme "PM cares" takes away the money that the company could have used for paying salaries to their workmen and meeting other obligations.  
• To a question as to whether reputed brands failed to show character in line with a branded company in  their action during the crisis, it was opined that some companies lived up to their commitment and bought the goods at the rates contracted. However, other brands failed to do so. 
• In difficult times Governments tend to relax labour legislation. In such a situation it is necessary  to be in the shoes of both the business and the workers and then take decisions and actions in overall interest. During the process it is very important to be  transparent. 
• Paying labour low wages or assigning them degrading work will not pay in the long run. Business should take the initiative to pay workmen better and acknowledge their skills.  
• As the way forward,  it is necessary to listen to the voices of all stakeholders who are affected and that of the Government and then jointly work for solutions. Questions need to be asked like " What will make sense to small scale industries? .  What is the space that has been created  to have an honest conversation for moving everyone to mainstream?" 
• How far should regulations and incentives go?  What should be the role of big organizations  and the role of industrial associations for coming out of the crisis?  What are the things we do well and what are the things we do not do well?   it is important to give enough time listening to each other.   
• To a question  "which are the countries if any that managed the situation well or better,"  it was informed  by a panelist that the Central and  North European countries have done well. They have more social dialogue and  developed trust. There is accountability for health and a collaborative approach is adopted for problem solving. 
• Asian countries don't do well in corporate governance. There are no internal challengers. The weakest link is the alignment of pay and reward.   
• The panelist from China stated that some industrial associations have social guidelines in terms of Human rights. Awareness amongst the business community and technical assistance are necessary to put UN guidelines into practice. There is also a need to share stories and best practices. 
• Supply chain management is a challenge area and more needs to done. UNDP rankings showing  the companies following the guidelines will go a long way, in alerting companies to do better. 
• In China, Multinational companies are better when it comes to following the UN guidelines. In Japan, only 45% are following the guidelines. It is necessary to ensure that all the tiers in the supply chain are covered in the implementation.   

I enjoy attending the monthly meetings of the professional bodies in HR and writing about them in my blog. This time. covering this virtual forum of UN  was a trifle more satisfying as the perception gained  from the discussions was more global in nature. The discussions centered around  a very important subject that of combating a global pandemic which is a challenge not just for  one or two countries  but the whole of mankind. It is my earnest wish and hope that my readers enjoy reading and benefit from the contents of this blog.