Budding biz honchos to train Andhra netas

Andhra legislators would be assigned B-school students to teach them modern management skills for understanding needs of their constituencies better, reports Ashok Das.

What use are MBAs to MLAs? Plenty, feels KR Suresh Reddy, speaker of the Pradesh assembly.

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Reddy has finalised a scheme under which every lawmaker will be assigned a final year B-school student, who will teach him modern management techniques so he is able to better understand the needs of his constituency.

The student will intern with the MLA for 3-4 months, travel across his constituency, speak to voters on their problems and aspirations, and assess the progress of government schemes. He will then advise the MLA on recasting development strategies and addressing shortcomings. He will also provide the MLA with research, notes and reports so he can raise important matters in the house in a cogent manner.

“If legislators are well prepared, discussions in the assembly can be a lot more fruitful and save a lot of time,” said Reddy.

Hyderabad’s Indian School of Business and Marri Chenna Reddy Institute for Human Resources Development have been roped in for the scheme. Reddy is in talks with a couple of IIMs as well.

“We will start with three constituencies in different parts of the state,” Reddy said.

Reddy, who was a successful businessman before joining politics, is convinced MLAs need modern management skills. He has already held classes for them on assembly procedure, and provided them with laptops with a special software that helps them closely monitor developments in their constituencies.

“The initiative is a step towards introducing professionalism into politics,” said Nadendla Manohar, MLA from Tenali, one of the constituencies where the scheme will be launched first. “The MBA students too will benefit from this first hand exposure to the countryside,” said another MLA.