Re: [HumJanenge] India Needs to Revamp its Bureaucracy to Bring Life to the Governance - Can RTI Help

Dear All

In issues like these what is important is to reduce the discretion of government officials. The anti corruption warriors want more laws, more rules, more controls and then hope that the corruption will whither away.

Corruption is there because someone in authority has the right to say no for something being asked for by a citizen. Generally citizens ask only what they deserve or actually have the right to possess it. The bureaucrat due to plethora of laws and rules has powers to stop the citizen from enjoying what the citizen legitimately owns. Corruption starts there. 

Remedy is not to put a policeman after every bureaucrat but to reduce the powers of the bureaucrat. Consider that the power corrupts and if the power is reduced the corruption will be reduced.

Yes there will be some disorder. But let market forces take care of that. Can you stop rain or thunderstorm to disturb you? How do you cope with that? Do you make a law running into 5432 sections and rules? No you protect yourself. 

Corruption can best be curbed if we start questioning the powers of baboos. Netas come later because without baboos no neta can do anything.

Problem is that everyone in India is asking for more laws and baboos and netas gladly make them as each section and each rule opens new opportunities for corruption.

PeeEn

On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 9:37 PM, Mahesh Khera <mkkhera@yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear all,

Politics have seen a sea change. In the words of the honorable PM, coalition politics has eroded the ability to take the much needed high priority decisions directly raising their hands helplessly, leaving the bureaucracy totally mismanaged due to weak political will, abdicating their prime responsibility and   bringing the governance to such a dismal state.

The bureaucracy which was established to be a steely frame and continue the good governance despite the state of politics being coalition in nature has been rusted beyond repairs.

Due to politics and bureaucracy having been brought to such a fragile state, judiciary and police have also gone mismanaged. Today, all four top institutions of the country have sunk to the lowest level and most pathetic governance has already been staring us in our face.

Elections are the answers to improve the politics which most likely will always be coalition in nature. It is a five years cycle and would always remain so.

It is the bureaucracy which is permanent in nature. Officers joining around 25 years of age and retiring at 60 gives a life cycle of around 35 years of continuous service. Even this has become beyond repairs. It calls for immediate rectification to ensure that the other two institutions of police and judiciary work well and governance remains good. Two well known good institutions which have performed creditably well are Armed Forces and Railways. Both these have a healthy mix of generalists and specialists with very healthy competition among officers at all levels and follow very good decision making process without any trace of arrogance. The institutionalized competitiveness among the officers gets the best out of them, promotions are earned and not assured, post retirement extension by 5 years is never a done thing and the two institutions thus will never get rusted. 

It is time the bureaucracy is revamped by bringing a very healthy competitiveness among officers, making them perform and earn promotions. The answer is to start inducting professionals also in the bureaucratic appointments. Reduce IAS and other allied vacancies by 50 % and institutionalize filling up of these 50 % vacancies through special services exam open to MBAs and specialists. Their training after the selection should be held in another academy "The Indian Management Academy". Such a step will really do very well for the country and has a potential to set right all the three institutions of bureaucracy, police and judiciary and continue to provide good governance despite the coalition politics.

The question is how to get this implemented ? Can RTI help by seeking the facts about dismal governance  due to failure of bureaucracy and then approach SC to decide and tell the government to revamp the bureaucracy if Parliament fails to act to bring out the new structure for the bureaucracy in India ?

Dear Mr Sarbajit, your RTI filed in case of Abhishek Singhvi is absolutely meticulous, flawless and a top class example in clarity of insight which you want to seek. How about doing this good for the country also ?    

 

With warm regards,

Col Mahesh Khera