THE DELHI MODEL – A BOLD NEW ROAD MAP TO BUILDING A DEVELOPED INDIA By JASMINE SHAH

In the heart of India’s political landscape, where promises by our governments often fall short and where cynicism often overshadows political hope, the people of Delhi voted in Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2015 with an unprecedented mandate in the history of independent India on the promise of ‘vyavastha parivartan’ i.e. transformative change in governance. There were naysayers aplenty: some called it foolish, others naïve idealism. Today, almost a decade later, it’s time for reckoning. Did the AAP achieve what it set out to? What truly is the model of governance that has been AAP’s trump card in all its electoral battles—The Delhi Model? Most importantly, how has the Delhi Model transformed the lives of millions living in the national capital—across multiple sectors?

A story of radical change

Renowned policy expert, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and the former head of Delhi government’s policy think-tank, Jasmine Shah, in his remarkable new book ‘The Delhi Model: A Bold New Road Map to Building a Developed India’, chronicles the stunning rise of a governance model that is redefining the future of India’s democracy. The Delhi Model, for the first time in independent India, brought the issue of transforming public education and healthcare from the margins to the centre of Indian politics. It prioritizes investments in human capital development and better service delivery for all citizens, while ensuring a social safety net for the most vulnerable. This book is the first such account of what the Delhi Model truly is, detailing its economic foundation and how it compares with other governance models in India, especially the Gujarat Model.

Jasmine Shah, in this authoritative and research-backed account, unpacks the reforms undertaken by the AAP government in Delhi in six key sectors—education, health, air pollution, transport, electricity and water—and the outcomes they resulted in. Analysing the policies laid down in the past decade, Mr Shah draws out an ambitious road map for building a developed India by leveraging principles of the Delhi Model. Mr Shah takes us behind the scenes, offering an insider’s perspective of the journey that transformed the capital city from a symbol of inefficiency and hopelessness to a beacon of innovation and change.

Whether you’re a policy enthusiast, an activist, or a concerned citizen looking for answers to India’s endemic governance failures—The Delhi Model is a must-read. This book is not just for political pundits and policymakers; it is for every citizen who cares for India’s future and believes that the answer lies in building a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable society where governance can be based on delivery, not ideology.

Delhi Model vs Gujarat Model

The book decodes the key principles underpinning the Delhi Model, contrasting it with the dominant thinking of economic growth being pursued by the two established parties in India, the BJP and Congress, over the past three decades. It takes the reader through a whirlwind tour of contemporary economic thinking to argue how the traditional trickle-down model of economics—with its fixation for GDP growth at the cost of everything else—has failed the common man and worsened inequality.

Among the many unique contributions of the book, it makes a hard-hitting comparison between the performance of the Delhi Model and the Gujarat Model – the poster child of trickle-down economics – to show how India cannot dream of becoming a developed nation by 2047 or even 2147 if it continues along the path of a flawed economic model and ignores the most fundamental issues of human development. It presents the Delhi Model as a template of possibility and promise for the nation as a whole that an alternate approach exists and that it works.

Service, not spectacle

Critics often dismiss the Delhi Model as “freebie politics,” but Mr Shah makes it clear that this is a misunderstanding. The Delhi Model is about investing in human capital first, while ensuring that the aam aadmi – the middle and lower classes – can live a life of dignity. By prioritizing education and healthcare with nearly 40% allocation in the state’s budget (compared to the national average of 18–20%), AAP’s unique governance model has made a case for why building human capabilities is the true measure of a nation’s progress.

Through powerful examples and case studies, the book illuminates how AAP’s governance model has been able to deliver results even in the face of fierce opposition and attempts to undermine it. Mr Shah’s narrative doesn’t shy away from addressing the challenges faced by the government—from confrontations with the Central government to the challenge of running a half-state with limited powers—but it tells the story of how remarkable progress was made despite these obstacles.

The book covers six key sectors: education, health, air pollution, transport, electricity, and water. Each chapter details the journey of the transformational reforms—from conception to execution—illustrating how they have reshaped life in Delhi. Mr Shah’s account cuts through the noise of the national political discourse to highlight a government that operates with transparency, accountability, and a genuine commitment to improving the lives of its citizens.

Transforming India: A Rare Confluence of Political Vision and Real-World Impact

AAP’s focus on ‘kaam ki rajneeti’ —the politics of work—has been at the core of its meteoric rise to become India’s youngest-ever national party within a decade of its formation. Its ability to deliver on the Delhi Model of governance earned it historic mandates, including a record 62 out of 70 seats in the 2020 Delhi elections and a record 92 out of 117 seats in the 2022 Punjab elections.

With elections across the country increasingly being fought on the strength of personal charisma and issues far removed from the day-to-day lives of citizens, the Delhi Model stands out as a call to rethink India’s political future. Mr Shah argues that the Delhi Model, if scaled nationally, could be a game-changer for India’s governance and political landscape.

“An attractive template…” – Raghuram G. Rajan

‘The Delhi Model is a very interesting and accessible account of how the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) reformed the delivery of school education, healthcare, rations and other government services in Delhi. It offers an attractive template for those who want to put the human capital of our citizens at the centre of India’s development agenda’—Raghuram Rajan, eminent economist and former governor, Reserve Bank of India

‘The concepts and ideas are transformational. More importantly, many of them have actually been successfully implemented and have made a difference, particularly in matters of health and education. The Delhi Model has given meaning to these very important and basic fundamental rights’—Justice Madan Lokur, former judge, Supreme Court of India

‘A thorough and well-researched account, The Delhi Model challenges India’s obsession with trickle-down economics and advocates a bold new approach of investing in human capital first. Jasmine has an academic’s eye and a literary auteur’s flair when chronicling the unique development model shaped by the AAP in the last decade’—Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, Bajaj Auto

‘The AAP has succeeded against brutal opposition from the political establishment to show the feasibility of a fully democratic system of governance. Jasmine Shah’s insider account with facts of what the AAP government has accomplished in Delhi so far is a must-read’—Arun Maira, author and former member, Planning Commission of India

About The Author

Jasmine Shah served as the vice chairperson of the Dialogue and Development Commission, the policy think-tank of Delhi government, from 2018 to 2024, and is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader. He played a crucial role in shaping many reforms of the Delhi Model in transport, environment, electricity, education, and employment sectors.

In a career spanning two decades, Jasmine has worked in multiple roles spanning the private, non-profit and government sectors. Jasmine was previously the deputy director of MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, South Asia, and led the nationwide ‘Jaago Re’ voting campaign at Janaagraha. A graduate from IIT Madras, he holds a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University, New York, where he was a Fulbright-Nehru Fellow. His columns have appeared in Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Mint and Economic Times.

The book will be launched around 15th December, 2024.