DK Kapila The Oracle

  Review - The Book Insights from the Frontlines of Governance. Author - Mr Suresh Kumar. IAS (Retd ), Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt of Punjab and Chief Principal Secretary to The Chief Minister, Govt of Punjab.     Review by – Dinesh Kumar Kapila , CGM (Retd), NABARD, Author / Mentor. This short review of the captioned book examines its core themes, framework, and the assessment of Governance, of course it has an emphasis on Punjab but it goes much beyond Punjab. It’s a reflection of the author’s experience and simultaneously its looking forward on Governance, along with its challenges, complexities and aspirations.   The chapters on Punjab resonate for those who hail from this region. The Author, Mr Suresh Kumar, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer, brings decades of grassroots and macro-level administrative experience to the book. The fundamental premise of the book is that governance is a continuous learning process rather tha...

  Stories about Frauds and the Mind of a Fraudster Dinesh Kumar Kapila Just an opening question to lead into the topic, why do some men, even seventy plus years old, fall for the oldest fraud in the world, that a young lady out of nowhere is calling up and is genuinely interested in them, then repenting after sometimes paying out huge sums. Before trusting the Fraudster, they should simply look at the mirror and know their own reality ! This question is to lead into the issue, the flavour of it.  A friend of many years was speaking to me today. The name of a mutual acquaintance came up as we talked, I came to know that inspite of a stellar and well known track record in committing frauds, this mutual acquaintance had pulled off yet another fraud. Even after knowing about him, the victim still played along, believing he, the victim was also onto something major to gain. And the amount was also substantial. Yet it happened. And ever so smoothly.  No matter the fall out or t...

  For a short Doordarshan interview, kind courtesy Ruchit Garg, Founder HFN and our informal Agritech forum, being based in this region I could only say that maybe shifting the focus on shifting from a "yield-maximization" mindset to an "income-optimization" mindset was a given. Every structure and system had a life and then needed to be revitalised or reset. We had to understand this while fully understanding the plight of the marginal farmer as also rural aspirations. 1. The Pivot: From Commodity to Commerce "Commercial Agriculture" isn't just about farming; it's about business management. Farmers need to treat their land as a factory and their crops as products. A shift away from the traditional wheat-paddy cycle by exploring high-value alternatives such as horticulture, floriculture, and specialized oilseeds, would be in order provided they are linked to pre-arranged market buyers. Or a clear marketing path carved out.,In this context I h...

  Young Managers  and  their Expectations.  Dinesh K Kapila , CGM (Retd) NABARD (Published by The Business Sandesh on 4th July 2026)   The relationship between entry-level professionals and executive leadership within Indian organizations is undergoing a profound structural shift. As a rapidly expanding economy, India exhibits a unique workplace dynamic where traditional cultural values , ch aracterized by deep-rooted hierarchy, collectivism, and paternalism ,  exist alongside modern, agile, and technology-driven corporate philosophies. This structural convergence has generated significant dialogue within organizational development circles regarding the nature of the gap between young managers and top management.  Is it  a  major  operational reality  that  impact s   institutional growth and competitiveness  is moot . Perceptive  observors  do opine that  the distinct generational cohorts do not posses...