What's in a Name? Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi & Jawaharlal Nehru

There are 450 government funded projects named after 3 individuals from the Congress - Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi & Rajiv Gandhi. Agreed that these 3 folks were Prime Minsters, did a lot for the country and deserve some recognition. But this is a case of recognizing the same small set of people for almost everything that happens in this country - something's wrong here. One recent example is the government tax saving scheme to encourage new investors to invest their money in the stock markets. They named this after Rajiv Gandhi. Wouldn't this have been a great opportunity to recognize someone who founded the Bombay Stock Exchange - even Google does not return the name in a simple search?

This in some ways reflects what happens in a lot of companies. The same set of employees (the top performers) get the big bonuses, the big salary increases, the promotions, the training opportunities etc. etc. Agreed the top performers play a very significant and pivotal role in the success of a company and need to be rewarded and recognized. But if every recognition the company does involves this small set of employees, it is like saying that they are the only ones contributing and everyone else is biding their time and don't deserve any credit.

The key is to have a broad-based Recognition program that provides recognition opportunities for a large section of employees, at appropriate levels for the specific contributions made towards the overall success of the organization.

Appendix to the Post:
As per a RTI (Right to Information) filed:

• 12 Central Government programmes and projects are named after Rajiv Gandhi
• 52 state government programmes
• 98 universities and educational institutions
• 6 airports and ports
• 39 hospitals
• 74 roads, buildings and places and
• 15 national parks and sanctuaries

In the dynastic naming spree, even Jawaharlal Nehrulooks like an after-thought. The formidable listing ranges from Indira Gandhi Calf Rearing Scheme and Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Vivah Shagun Yojana (Haryana) to Rajiv Gandhi Kabaddi Tournament, Rajiv Gandhi Wrestling Gold Cup, Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (three in Kerala alone), Rajiv GandhiIndian Institute of Management, Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Rajiv GandhiFellowship for SC/ST, Rajiv Gandhi Wild Life Sanctuary,Rajiv Gandhi Mission on Food Security, Rajiv GandhiBreakfast Scheme (Pondicherry), Rajiv Gandhi Bridges and Roads Programme, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute. There’s even a peak in the Himalayas named Mount Rajiv.