New Delhi, Nov. 4 -- India's developmental journey over the last decade or so has been marked by an ambitious setting of goals-defined by slogans, timelines, dashboards and often quantified targets. From Digital India to Smart Cities and from Swachh Bharat to Viksit Bharat by 2047, the state has enunciated an expansive vision of transformation, sometimes articulated in terms of bold national targets, such as 100% sanitation coverage, creating 20 million formal jobs, giving every gram panchayat broadband connectivity, doubling farm incomes and making 100 cities 'smart,' among others.

These are not merely technocratic goals, but instruments of aspiration, designed to galvanize the 'steel frame' (our civil services), mobilize citizens and s...