Joginder Singh
The conduct rules of all government employees in our country mandate that they shall maintain absolute integrity in their functioning. Unfortunately the conduct rules, which are very unambiguous, have been violated both in spirit and letter by bureaucrats as well as their political masters.
Indeed, it might appear surprising that five months after the Secretaries Committee decided that ministries with Central Public Sector Employees (CPSEs) under their control should not allow officers to use facilities owned by or paid for by these state-run companies, the Department of Personnel & Training has asked government officials to return at the earliest and definitely before March 31, 2010 all mobile phones, chauffeur-driven cars, air conditioners, laptops, faxes etc that have been provided by CPSEs.
Instead of specifying that such a misuse would lead to dismissal or other serious punishment, the order says that “any such use shall attract suitable action against them... Any manpower or other facilities from CPSEs already being availed by the ministries or departments will be returned by the concerned ministries. As if it felt sorry in issuing such an order, the same department says, “In case there is need due to exceptional circumstances to utilize a facility from a CPSE for a bona fide purpose related with official duties, the usage could be allowed by the Secretary concerned for a specified period after a careful assessment of the situation”.
If a rule is there, there should be no loopholes. But our legal experts first leave sufficient loopholes and then make rules to provide escape routes to crooks. Anybody who has anything to do with the government feels that nothing moves unless it is moved by love, money or influence. About middlemen, I asked a businessman:
“Why do you always require an agent in any dealing with a government office?"
His response was that it was difficult for anyone to just find out the exact procedure for your work and also because these procedures are too cumbersome. Despite the government's claims of simplifying laws and procedures, there are layers upon layers of laws if you need to stick to the law. A single window system with a time bound response is the solution.
For me, it was nothing but a literal admission by Cabinet Secretary, the highest government official of India, of widespread corruption in the bureaucracy when he said in March 2010: "The issue of corruption needs to be addressed fairly and squarely. Preventive vigilance should be strengthened. Transparency must be introduced in decision making and in all our systems. Stringent action must be taken against officers found guilty. Disciplinary proceedings must be expedited."
"We must respond in full measure to the faith that citizens have reposed in us and meet their hopes and aspirations of good governance. Of late, there have been some disturbing incidents which call for serious introspection by civil servants. Integrity, honesty, objectivity, impartiality, transparency, accountability and devotion towards duty were the core values which civil servants should cherish and which form an integral part of our decisions and actions."
So much so that even the Union Minister For Administrative Reforms and Personnel had said some times back that "there is a perception that the Indian bureaucracy is inefficient and corrupt. If we are not able to provide for inclusive growth and maintain regional and social balance in the country, it may lead to conflicts which may shake the very foundations of our federal polity and our nation."
Considered against the fact that India's performance on UNDP's Human Development Index abysmal, such corruption in the bureaucracy harms the marginalised much more.
About six years ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured Indian industry that a high-level standing committee with representatives from industry and the government would review all existing industry laws with international best practices and if required amend archaic laws to end the tyranny of inspector Raj.
"The rules and regulations would be made more transparent and simple. The attempt would be to, as far as possible, not leave issues to personal interpretation and to ensure that discretionary power is not misused," the PM had said. Unfortunately, nothing much has moved on this front.
A Supreme Count appointed judicial committee about the corruption of bureaucracy had this to say: "It is a known fact that PDS has dubious distinction of being one of the most corrupt sectors in the country. Corruption is all pervasive in the entire chain involved in the PDS and it continues to remain a formidable problem. Most of the functionaries under the food and civil supply department are typically callous and resort to corrupt practices. It is, in fact, a cancerous growth and has to be chopped off as patch work will not do."
The committee headed by former justice, DP Wadhwa of Supreme Court, said although the Centre was giving a "whopping" subsidy of Rs 28,000 crore to the states on food items to be distributed to poor through the PDS but a strong nexus of corrupt officials, dishonest fair price shop (FPS) owners, treacherous transporters engaged by state governments and unscrupulous mill owners, has virtually crippled the system.
While finding that the PDS ration was being directly sold to flour mills, the committee said unless concrete remedial measures were immediately taken as suggested by it "the poor will go on suffering because of this nexus."
The Indian bureaucracy is not only inefficient, but also highly corrupt. The leadership has totally failed in either reforming or controlling the babudom, notwithstanding the two Administrative Reforms Commissions. The bureaucracy in our country is like a broken cannon. It does not work and you cannot fire it. it is corrupt, inefficient and thrives because of weak political leadership. No wonder, it loves the status quo.
It is time we finally dealt with the babus of India. It is already late.
(The author is a former CBI Director & a regular columnist of Punjab Today.)
The conduct rules of all government employees in our country mandate that they shall maintain absolute integrity in their functioning. Unfortunately the conduct rules, which are very unambiguous, have been violated both in spirit and letter by bureaucrats as well as their political masters.
 |
| Joginder Singh |
Instead of specifying that such a misuse would lead to dismissal or other serious punishment, the order says that “any such use shall attract suitable action against them... Any manpower or other facilities from CPSEs already being availed by the ministries or departments will be returned by the concerned ministries. As if it felt sorry in issuing such an order, the same department says, “In case there is need due to exceptional circumstances to utilize a facility from a CPSE for a bona fide purpose related with official duties, the usage could be allowed by the Secretary concerned for a specified period after a careful assessment of the situation”.
If a rule is there, there should be no loopholes. But our legal experts first leave sufficient loopholes and then make rules to provide escape routes to crooks. Anybody who has anything to do with the government feels that nothing moves unless it is moved by love, money or influence. About middlemen, I asked a businessman:“Why do you always require an agent in any dealing with a government office?"
His response was that it was difficult for anyone to just find out the exact procedure for your work and also because these procedures are too cumbersome. Despite the government's claims of simplifying laws and procedures, there are layers upon layers of laws if you need to stick to the law. A single window system with a time bound response is the solution.
For me, it was nothing but a literal admission by Cabinet Secretary, the highest government official of India, of widespread corruption in the bureaucracy when he said in March 2010: "The issue of corruption needs to be addressed fairly and squarely. Preventive vigilance should be strengthened. Transparency must be introduced in decision making and in all our systems. Stringent action must be taken against officers found guilty. Disciplinary proceedings must be expedited."
"We must respond in full measure to the faith that citizens have reposed in us and meet their hopes and aspirations of good governance. Of late, there have been some disturbing incidents which call for serious introspection by civil servants. Integrity, honesty, objectivity, impartiality, transparency, accountability and devotion towards duty were the core values which civil servants should cherish and which form an integral part of our decisions and actions."
So much so that even the Union Minister For Administrative Reforms and Personnel had said some times back that "there is a perception that the Indian bureaucracy is inefficient and corrupt. If we are not able to provide for inclusive growth and maintain regional and social balance in the country, it may lead to conflicts which may shake the very foundations of our federal polity and our nation."
Considered against the fact that India's performance on UNDP's Human Development Index abysmal, such corruption in the bureaucracy harms the marginalised much more.
 |
| The Indian bureaucracy is not only inefficient, but also highly corrupt. The leadership has totally failed in either reforming or controlling the babudom, notwithstanding the two Administrative Reforms Commissions. The bureaucracy in our country is like a broken cannon. It does not work and you cannot fire it. it is corrupt, inefficient and thrives because of weak political leadership. No wonder, it loves the status quo. |
About six years ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured Indian industry that a high-level standing committee with representatives from industry and the government would review all existing industry laws with international best practices and if required amend archaic laws to end the tyranny of inspector Raj.
"The rules and regulations would be made more transparent and simple. The attempt would be to, as far as possible, not leave issues to personal interpretation and to ensure that discretionary power is not misused," the PM had said. Unfortunately, nothing much has moved on this front.
A Supreme Count appointed judicial committee about the corruption of bureaucracy had this to say: "It is a known fact that PDS has dubious distinction of being one of the most corrupt sectors in the country. Corruption is all pervasive in the entire chain involved in the PDS and it continues to remain a formidable problem. Most of the functionaries under the food and civil supply department are typically callous and resort to corrupt practices. It is, in fact, a cancerous growth and has to be chopped off as patch work will not do."
The committee headed by former justice, DP Wadhwa of Supreme Court, said although the Centre was giving a "whopping" subsidy of Rs 28,000 crore to the states on food items to be distributed to poor through the PDS but a strong nexus of corrupt officials, dishonest fair price shop (FPS) owners, treacherous transporters engaged by state governments and unscrupulous mill owners, has virtually crippled the system.
While finding that the PDS ration was being directly sold to flour mills, the committee said unless concrete remedial measures were immediately taken as suggested by it "the poor will go on suffering because of this nexus."
The Indian bureaucracy is not only inefficient, but also highly corrupt. The leadership has totally failed in either reforming or controlling the babudom, notwithstanding the two Administrative Reforms Commissions. The bureaucracy in our country is like a broken cannon. It does not work and you cannot fire it. it is corrupt, inefficient and thrives because of weak political leadership. No wonder, it loves the status quo.
It is time we finally dealt with the babus of India. It is already late.
(The author is a former CBI Director & a regular columnist of Punjab Today.)
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