Hyderabad: Self-reliance is the only path to building a Viksit Bharat, said noted public administration expert Prof. Ramesh K. Arora on Tuesday. He was delivering the keynote address at the inaugural session of a two-day national seminar at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU).
The seminar, titled “Social Policies and Public Administration in India: Vision 2047,” is being organised by the Department of Public Administration.
Public policy needs actionable administrative plans
Quoting India’s first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Prof. Arora began by linking self-reliance to self-respect. He stressed that every social policy needs a clear administrative roadmap. Without it, even the best policy frameworks fail during execution. India, he noted, has designed strong policies, but implementation remains weak due to poor administrative planning.
MANUU Vice Chancellor Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan, who presided over the session, said the university is actively contributing to Vision 2047. He emphasised the institution’s commitment to empowering students from socially disadvantaged and Urdu-speaking backgrounds.
Former Andhra Pradesh Minister for Social Welfare, Kondru Pushpaleela, attended as the chief guest. She stressed the need for better coordination between politicians, bureaucrats, academics, field practitioners, and theorists to make social policies successful. She urged researchers to focus on comparative studies of policies at both state and central levels.
Prof. P.H. Mohammad, Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, said that public administration must reach the most marginalised. He underlined that the success of social policies depends on how well they address the needs of deprived communities.
Seminar aligned with Vision 2047 goals
Seminar convener and department head Prof. Syed Najmul Allah outlined its objectives. He said success in social policy is critical to achieving Vision 2047 and highlighted public administration’s dual role in both policy formulation and implementation.
During the session, the Vice Chancellor released a special issue of “Bihar: Journal of Public Administration” featuring selected papers from last year’s MANUU international conference on Sustainable Development Goals. He also launched the department’s annual newsletter “Public Administration Newsletter.”
Assistant Professor Dr. Ahmed Raza delivered the vote of thanks, and Associate Professor Dr. Jeevan Kumar C. conducted the proceedings.