Bilaspur, India | 2026 :At a time when citizens across the world are demanding faster, simpler, and more respectful public services, a powerful new book by senior bureaucrat and public policy expert Dr. Mukesh Jain offers a timely and deeply thoughtful response. Titled Citizens Are from Jupiter and Governments from Saturn: How Design Thinking Brings Both Worlds into Alignment, the book has been published by Evincepub Publishing and is now available on Amazon, Flipkart, Kindle, and the publisher’s official website.
The book addresses a truth that most people experience but rarely articulate: while government impacts every aspect of life, interacting with public systems often feels confusing, exhausting, and intimidating. Long queues, unclear forms, repeated visits, unpredictable timelines, and rigid procedures have become a shared reality for citizens. At the same time, government officers face enormous pressure, complex rules, and limited flexibility, often feeling trapped within systems they did not design.
Dr. Mukesh Jain’s book argues that this gap between citizens and governments is not due to lack of effort or intention, but due to misaligned system design. Citizens and governments, he explains, often operate like they come from different planets—thinking differently, speaking different languages, and failing to understand each other’s realities. The solution, according to the author, lies in design thinking—a human-centred approach that places empathy, simplicity, and real-life experiences at the core of governance.
Dr. Mukesh Jain brings exceptional credibility to this subject. An Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 1989 Madhya Pradesh cadre, he has served in several challenging leadership roles at both state and central levels. As Joint Secretary in the Government of India, he played a key role in conceptualising and implementing the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan), launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. Academically, he is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Harvard Kennedy School, and IIT Delhi, and is widely respected for his work in public policy, governance, and positive psychology.
In Citizens Are from Jupiter and Governments from Saturn, Dr. Jain makes a strong but hopeful case for change. He explains that most government systems are designed around internal processes—files, rules, departments, approvals—rather than around human journeys. As a result, even well-meaning policies often fail at the point of delivery. Design thinking, he writes, offers governments a way to redesign services around how people actually live, think, and interact.
The book is structured into four clear and practical sections. It begins by explaining why traditional bureaucratic models are struggling in a fast-changing, digital world. It then introduces the mindset of design thinking, focusing on empathy and reframing problems. The third section walks readers through a step-by-step design thinking process—Discover, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test—using real-world examples from governance. The final section explores how governments can embed innovation through labs, GovTech initiatives, and simple 100-day action plans, while also looking ahead to the future of AI-enabled, citizen-centric governance.
One of the book’s strongest features is its rich use of global and Indian examples. Dr. Jain draws lessons from countries such as Estonia, Singapore, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, where public services have been redesigned around citizen life events rather than departmental boundaries. At the same time, the book highlights Indian success stories like Passport Seva, UPI, Direct Benefit Transfer, Aadhaar, and DigiLocker, showing how scale and simplicity can work together when services are designed with users in mind.
A key message of the book is that digital transformation without design is only automation of bad processes. Putting a confusing form online does not make it simpler; it only makes confusion faster. True transformation begins by asking a basic but powerful question: How should this service feel to the citizen?
Written in accessible language, the book avoids heavy jargon and academic complexity. It reads not like a textbook, but like a thoughtful conversation between the author and the reader. Dr. Jain repeatedly emphasises that government is not broken—it is full of potential waiting to be unlocked. Small changes, he argues, can create big impact: a redesigned form, a simplified step, a clearer instruction, a kinder interaction, or a better-designed space can transform the experience of thousands of citizens.
The book is aimed at a wide audience. Civil servants and administrators will find practical tools and renewed motivation. Students of public policy and governance will gain a clear understanding of modern administrative thinking. Political leaders and decision-makers can use the insights to improve service delivery and public trust. Even ordinary citizens will benefit from understanding how governance systems work and how they can be made more humane.
Speaking about the book, Dr. Mukesh Jain notes that governance is ultimately a human relationship. “Technology creates possibilities, but trust is built through experience,” he writes. The future of governance, according to him, lies in systems that are simple, humane, predictable, and proactive—systems that reduce effort for citizens instead of adding to their burden.
Published by Evincepub Publishing, the book adds an important voice to contemporary discussions on governance reform and public service delivery. At a time when trust in institutions is under pressure, Citizens Are from Jupiter and Governments from Saturn offers a rare blend of realism and optimism, reminding readers that better governance is not only necessary—it is possible.
The book is now available for purchase and is expected to become a valuable reference for policymakers, administrators, and institutions committed to building a citizen-first future.
