Who says politicians can't be creative? Or that they don't embrace new ideas? I was totally taken aback when minister Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science and technology, Government of India, was invited to help launch my book, The New Age of Innovation, in New Delhi, India, on April 17th. Here is his basic takeaway from the book.

The government of India recently forgave all the loans given to small farmers -- $15 billion. The idea was to give poor farmers a second chance. This program has been called an election gimmick, a thoughtful policy, and everything in between. Minister Sibal took this on.

What is the assumption behind this "universal loan forgiveness" policy? That all small farmers are alike? Sounds like the old Model T model, doesn’t it? But minister Sibal said that each farmer's plight is unique -- the location of the land, access to water, nutrient base, the crops, the financial context of the farmer, his expertise, and access to markets. Each farmer is different. He said, why can't we use geospatial satellite imagery (or Google maps), soil testing, bank records, etc., to develop a unique package tailored to, and co-created, with one farmer at a time. So that makes it N=1.

Moreover, this will require the collaboration of high tech firms, banks, and multiple agencies of the government, both state and federal. That makes it R=G.

So here is an example of the application of the concept of N=1, R=G in the public policy domain. This can impact 400 to 500 million people in India. Minister Sibal told us that he has initiated a program for doing just that.

One never can predict what will happen to this initiative. We can only support Mr. Sibal for trying it. This is, for me, the best public policy example of N=1 and R=G thinking. Do you know of another example, a better one?