The Government of India has been working towards evolving the people’s power in governance as functionaries and facilitators. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model is the core of it. This is an arrangement of a government and a private entity, for-profit or non-profit, undertaking a traditional public activity. PPP is also described as one government unit and a consortium of private firms created to initiate and bring about major civic redevelopment projects.
The ruling party in its 2014 general elections manifesto had stated about transforming the PPP model into a People-Public-Private Partnership (PPPP) model. But nothing active has been done. Government budgets and aid alone cannot ensure that everyone gets access to sanitation, water, and electricity.
But reports show that there is no guarantee that PPP models will lead to successful achievements of set goals. According to UNECE’s Revised Guiding Principles on People-First Public-Private Partnerships for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, “most of the PPPs have been undertaken in fully developed Western countries with mature economies.”
World Bank Group’s senior director for infrastructure and public-private partnerships, Laurence Carter said PPPs can involve the private sector in making public services more sustainable, more efficient and cost-effective.
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“In India’s Odisha state, an International Finance Corporation (IFC) supported PPP has upgraded street lighting while cutting energy consumption by up to 80 percent. This is a win for both the environment and strapped municipal budgets.”
However, the PPP model remains to be much better identified on the basis of many common issues. The Revised Guiding Principles on People-First Public-Private Partnerships for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals argues that “governments using PPPs introduces a dangerous profit motive in the delivery of public services.”
The government and its partners need to work in a transparent and committed manner. According to the World Bank, enabling a framework for PPPs needs to be strengthened with independent regulators. “In terms of transactions, India needs to focus on sectors other than transport and power and customize the PPP architecture to suit each sector.
A people-first approach is needed. This will prioritize the value for people. It will also foster access to essential public services for all where sustainable development as its objective and putting people first at the core.
