New Delhi, Oct 29 (Representative) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said Technology has come as a very big instrument through which human folly and temptation can be contained in governance. Delivering the NTR Memorial Lecture on ‘Empowerment – Road to Good Governance’, marking the centenary celebrations of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N T Rama Rao (popularly known as NTR) at GITAM University here, she said that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had lamented that if I send a rupee down to the people, only 15 paisa reach them. However, what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done is, by adopting technology, he has contained the leaky bucket process. There are no leaks, the beneficiary who must get that money gets it. Not 15 paisa to a rupee, but one rupee to a rupee, she said. Sitharaman said Technology has come as a very big Instrument through which otherwise the human folly and the human temptation is contained and added the human tendency to take something out which probably does not belong rightfully to one, is there, one cannot bypass that. Today, the way we have adopted technology is ensuring that benefits reach common public, one of the goals of good governance has been achieved, the Finance Minister said..
“I am not saying this is fool proof. Ingenuity will have some element in which people will know to hack even this, but now it is for sure that who should get what, is going absolutely without any kind of pilferages.Good governance is about looking for instruments with which you are able to implement the objectives,” she said. “I pay my humble respects to a leader who’d be 100 had he lived today, and to his family. I feel touched that in a year-long celebration, I’ve been given a small role to play. Whether it is Rama or Krishna, until modern day there is nobody else who can bring that image so perfectly than N T Rama Rao, who is a legendary actor. The films had a very good blend of authentic references to the Puranas. There were no fabrications, and the acting was just incomparable,” Nirmala said while paying her respects to NTR. The Minister said “Today when we talk about good governance, you have so much to speak about the time when NT Rama Rao was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.”She also invoked the messaging of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’, and said there should be adequate presence of a government where required, and no more. Nirmala added that building trust in people is crucial for good governance.