'Lack of motivation biggest drawback of governance'

The failure to motivate people remains one of the biggest drawbacks of governance today, said T.K.A. Nair, advisor to the prime minister.

"We must not forget that our people are humans made of flesh and blood and cannot be treated like machines," Nair said here Friday.

He was addressing management honchos and academics during the book launch of "My Experiments With Unleashing People Power" by K.K. Sinha, professor, Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH).

In the book, based on his experiences as the human resource director of NTPC Ltd for a decade, Sinha spells out how human capital has become the key component for survival and success, a BIMTECH press release said.

Nair pitched for empowerment as a tool to motivate people rather than by throwing the rule book at them.

"We cannot lose sight of what Indian economy has achieved since independence. The public sector undertakings have a big role and responsibility," Nair added.

He alluded to the contributions made by NTPC's founding chairman D.V. Kapur, ONGC's Col. S.P. Wahi and Maruti's V. Krishnamurthy.

Four former and serving NTPC heads, including D.V. Kapur and serving chairman Arup Roy Choudhury, were present on the occasion.

BIMTECH director H. Chaturvedi said appointment of Indians to top slots in global corporations was a tribute to the country's management and engineering education.

Published by Bloomsbury India, the 294-page book is available in hard cover for Rs.499.