24 PARLIAMENTARIAN l juLy 2019
leverage the values propagated by him
and thereby create a mass movement
on the lines of ‘satyagraha’ for a cleaner
India. The symbol (the pair of
spectacles worn by Gandhi) used by
the SBM invokes Gandhiji’s ideas.
Behavioral economics emphasizes the
role of context in influencing choices
and decisions, which has been
effectively adopted by the SBM
campaign.”
With regard to the success of BBBP,
the box titled “Effective use of “Social
norm” in BBBP” devoted to the case
study says, “The success of the BBBP
Scheme demonstrates a powerful use
of the insight on ‘social norm’ in its
‘Selfie with Daughter’ initiative... The
selfie campaign showcased examples
of parents around the country who
were exactly doing that. The
celebration of the girl child quickly
became the norm. Most people wanted
to conform, and more and more
parents posted selfies with their girls.
Started by one proud father in a village
in Haryana, the campaign went viral
and #SelfieWithDaughter became a
worldwide hit.”sourcing info
This chapter began with an interesting
and unattributed epigraph in Sanskrit
and English, which is both ironical
and intriguing. The Sanskrit line reads:
tarko apratishto shrutayo vibhinna-
aneko rishiryasya matam pramaanam
which has been roughly translated
into: “We cannot rely totally on
rational thinking to gain information
as it is not without its bias.”
The epigraph for the chapter on data
is from Chinese leader who unleashed
economic reforms in China in 1978,
Deng Xiaoping, and it says, “Cross the
river by crossing the stones.” In the
summary at the head of the chapter,
Deng’s aphorism is explained:
“Navigating in an uncertain, wobbly
world requires constant monitoring of
the path followed by the economyusing real-time indicators. Thus, data
can serve as the stones that enable one
to cross the river.” And in the context
of privacy as a fundamental right as
spelt out by the Supreme Court of
India, the survey keeps the issue of
privacy constantly in view. In the
summary it is stated, “Given that
sophisticated technologies already
exist to protect privacy and share
confidential information, governments
can create data as a public good within
the legal framework of data privacy. In
the spirit of the Constitution of India,
data should be “of the people, by the
people and for the people.”minting data
The Survey makes a persuasive
argument as to why government
should be involved in creating data|
The survey makes a persuasive argumenT
as To why governmenT should Be involved
in creaTing daTa which Then can Become a
puBlic good
picTure: sipra das