Most keenly watched speech of the
Prime Minister this 15th August was specifically noticed for his
comments on OROP. In exact words, the PM said “The
issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP) has come before every government, each one
has considered its proposal, and each and every government has made promises on
it, but the problem is still pending to be resolved. After my assuming office
as Prime Minister I have not been able to do this by now”.
Through the honest confession of
helplessness in inking a decision on OROP, the most decisive leader of “Team
India” belittled both the glory of the Red Fort and the occasion of 15th
August that signifies liberation. The red stone mammoth, must have wailed in
humiliation when this lament came from no other than a leader, armed with a historic
majority of 282 parliamentarians with practically no opposition. The
reiteration of his in-principle commitment to OROP while was
appreciated, the criminal delay in its implementation has left the nation to
debate the compelling reasons behind sluggishness in policy implementations.
The surrender
to “due process” by a man, who is convinced of “minimum government and maximum
governance”, is not music to any ear that craves for responsive governance. It
is definitely though a rude provocation to inquire into why implementation
process in government is so painful, fractured and time consuming. The OROP
issue surely is not a singular example.
The sordid treatment
given to high profile 26/11 attacks is another in recent memory. The then Union
Home Minister P Chidambaram termed the attacks, “a game-changer” “Zero
tolerance” on terrorism, and assured of adequate resources for a “swift and
decisive response” in future. Five years after this, Amir Khan, writing for the
Indian Express in November 2014, reported that the Bombay High Court expressed
displeasure for not carrying out changes to weapon policy even after the
experience of the 26/11 terror attacks that left many police personnel dead as
they were not adequately armed. A sense of
betrayal thus is the common man’s conclusion.
Why this state of affairs?
One
answer came from the man himself. On an earlier occasion the PM said “When I came to Delhi and noticed an insider
view, I felt what it was and I was surprised to see it. It seemed as if dozens
of separate governments are running at the same time in one main government. It
appeared that everyone has its own fiefdom. I could observe disunity and
conflict among them”.
No
wonder, the judicial forums in the country are clogged with litigations borne
out of indifference and inaction on the part of the Government (s). In terms of
numbers, as on 01.03.2015 there were 61,300 cases pending before the Supreme
Court - the highest judicial forum. Attributing this to growth, largely to
transparency and an informed citizenry of recent times would be a fallacy. Let
us face it; something somewhere is terribly wrong in the process of Governance.
Where does the malaise lie then?
The malaise probably is not with
the vision and directions of the leadership. The rot lies with rusting
institutions or implementation agencies that lack a system of accountability. There
has been a remarkable growth in internalisation of the paradigm that procrastinating
a decision or opting for a “group insurance” by forming committees is a safe, sustainable
and profitable idea. The sense of urgency and responsibility, much needed in the
current phase of development therefore has evaporated from a bureaucracy that
is cushioned with security of job, tenure-linked promotion and secured pension.
In the fast changing world, where
tweets shape news, decision making needs to be smarter, for India to attain and
maintain a competitive edge over peer nations. For smart governance we need
smart system that encourages performers and penalizes lousy souls. Sadly today’s
“meritocratic bureaucracy” promotes only unblemished seniority in terms of number
of years of attendance in office. The senior most bureaucratic position is
occupied by virtue of an over rated rank, secured “once upon a time”. The methodology
of seniority by the rank at the time of entry is designed to frustrate any
attempts to count real life accomplishments that made a positive difference in
the lives of citizens in the process of elevation in the career. Thus it is
ensured that the soaring eagle of bureaucracy is the loyal rule book follower
and not the one who is a continuously inquisitive, innovative and passionate
learner.
The creamy Indian Administrative
Service that leads shaping of decision making, oblivious of changing needs of
the society is singularly keen in securing its own fort than open new vistas. With
few exceptions, it has become more of an “Indian Hopping Service” having
mastered the art of quickly slipping out of scene at the time of reckoning
accountability. The result without a coordinated approach to
setting objectives and standards, and no means of measuring public
satisfaction, government initiatives are operated on an inconsistent basis with
limited emphasis on improvements. The citizen expectation that their
Bureaucracy will ensure professionalism and responsiveness in efficiently
serving political governments is almost at its nadir. No wonder, secure jobs
fail to earn positive appreciation by the general public.
On
the political front, this loss of control over the implementing agencies can be
detrimental to highly competitive politics that has been seen to be overthrown
over trivialities like “price of onions” leave apart serious issues. The imperfections
in arriving at intelligent and workable policy options towards quenching public
demand by the bureaucracy apart from impacting public good, has the real threat
of marring political careers of achievers in politics, who have a long road
ahead.
The Road ahead
The structure and working of bedraggled
bureaucracy therefore needs a
ruthless inspection. The principles taught to a beginner in
economics, in this context if put to practice holds a promise. On the global
scale, the human development of recent
decades achieved through competition in markets is indicative of the virtue of Competition.
Competition has been central to the growth of markets, fostering innovation,
productivity and growth. This in turn has lead to creation of wealth and a
concomitant reduction of poverty. The resource-less nation known as a little
red dot on the world map called Singapore is a practitioner of this idea of
healthy competition. Any one returning from Singapore can vouch for its success
that transformed a nation into the shortest span of time in recent history. In a
unique successful implementation, Singapore bureaucracy ensures that only the
best reaches the top. And let us not be surprised to take note that a junior in
reality has an opportunity to supervise his one-time boss.
Another
way forward is to take learnings from the Dubai Government Excellence Programme
(DGEP). The DGEP recognises and rewards
exceptional government employees, departments and initiatives on a yearly basis.
Distinguished Team Performance, Distinguished
Administrative Initiative, Distinguished Government Employee, Innovators are
specific category awards amongst others to recognise and encourage a
bureaucracy to be responsive, responsible and accountable. Measuring
progress has become something of a positive obsession for the Dubai Government.
The DGEP has become a widely admired and followed programme, not only within
government circles, but has also interestingly attracted interest from the
private sectors. Much to its credit, the DGEP won the United Nations Public
Service Award in 2007.
Home-made
prescription towards transforming the Indian bureaucracy is contained in the recommendation
of Administrative Reforms Commission that essentially argues for infusing
competition. It is time to dust it. To translate “Maan ki baat” into “Kaam ki Baat”, taking the
bull by the horns is the key. The bureaucracy then will be seen to be run
dispassionately by passionate professionals whose identity is merit and not
those three letter suffixes after names, and who in the words of our man at 7
Race Course Road are not
an assembled entity, but an organic unity, an organic entity, a harmonious
whole- with one aim, one mind, one direction, one energy.
Published on 13th Sep by a friend who picked it up from here for a surprise birth day gift.
http://epaper.centralchronicle.com/index.php?pgno=4&date1=2015-09-13
