Just do it

Recently some district collectors from Naxal-hit districts asked Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh if they could build playgrounds using NREGA funds. Ramesh replied that a notification to this effect was issued last month. He was corrected by Secretary Rural Development B K Sinha who said the notification was issued only a day ago. It turned out that the one-month delay was the result of consultations between Centre and states. As Ramesh commented on bureaucratic procedures that required consultations with the states on something the states wanted, he was in for another surprise. A District Collector from Madhya Pradesh told him they were already using NREGA funds to make playgrounds. As everyone burst into laughter, Ramesh said, “The moral of the story is don’t ask, just do it.”