‘Building state capability in the world’s largest democracy is one of the today’s most pressing challenges. These insights about how to do better from two who are actually doing are a hugely valuable contribution. I have done research on India for 30 years and yet learned something new in every chapter. This is the rare book that combines the best of practical knowledge with an equally impressive command of the analytics and academic literature. A tour de force of the enormous beast that is the Indian state. A Master class from Master of the craft.