My service of four decades has made me comprehend one simple truth – corruption travels from top to bottom not otherwise. Inefficiency and corruption are the two sides of the same coin and unless corruption is rooted out or minimized, efficient governance will always remain an unfulfilled dream, writes former IAS officer V.S.Pandey
In a meeting of the Secretaries of the central government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked them to weed out the inefficient and non-performers in order to improve the delivery of government schemes and its performance. He advised them to use the rules under which the Government has the absolute right to retire Government officials prematurely -on the grounds of lack of integrity and ineffectiveness, in public interest, such as the provisions of Fundamental Rules (FR) 56(j)/(l), and Rule 48 of Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension Rules, 1972.
These directives by the PM are laudatory and the Secretaries to the government of India are expected to follow them in letter and spirit. Undoubtedly, the governments need to be perpetually vigilant in not allowing incompetent personnel to thrive in the system lest they affect the performance of the government and disappoint the people- leading to electoral defeat of the ruling dispensation at the hustings.
This is not the first time directions to weed out the corrupt and inefficient personnel from the system have been made from the very apex. During my nearly four decades of service in the government, such directions were issued by several Prime ministers and state Chief Ministers from time to time- but to no avail. Why such efforts fail to materialize is not difficult to fathom. It is a well known secret that our governments, across the spectrum, suffer from inefficiency and are immersed in corruption at every level. In such a scenario, expecting the inefficient and corrupt lot, sitting at the top ( barring some exceptions ) to weed out the corrupt and incompetent lot below is like asking the mouse to not only catch but to eat the cat too!
My service of four decades has made me comprehend one simple truth – corruption travels from top to bottom not otherwise. Inefficiency and corruption are the two sides of the same coin and unless corruption is rooted out or minimized, efficient governance will always remain an unfulfilled dream. In a democratic country like ours, the political executives have been bestowed with all the necessary powers to not only devise and implement policies for public good but also to control and supervise the bureaucratic apparatus – right to the grassroots . Here lies the crux of the matter.
Unless the political executives display exemplary integrity and honesty while discharging their functions, the system below will never ever function with integrity and efficiency. When the elected government representatives work with honesty -only then will they succeed in sending the right signal and ensuring that the bureaucracy acts with integrity and provides efficient and effective governance. When the political executives fails to act in the true spirit of the law of the land and indulges in self service and partisanship , the bureaucracy will collude and follow suit and ensure that their deep pockets are lined first .In this nefarious nexus ,people’s interest will be undermined instead of being given salience .
This is the biggest problem plaguing our nation. Our political class, cutting across party lines and ideology, are busy indulging in totally illegal and unethical practices to win elections, giving party tickets to only the “electable” candidates- even hefty bahubalis – with principles and ethical questions never being raised . When the very basics and foundations become so faulty and cemented with amorality then the superstructure built mirrors multiple distortions and remains shaky and ready to crumble with the slightest tremor. How can it deliver public good then?
The effort of making the government efficient and honest has to begin at the very top. That means cleansing the entire way in which political parties function and elections are fought. Role of money and muscle power has to be eradicated first from our political land scape. The egregious effects of these monsters has already damaged our nation’s life with a large number of persons with criminal background being our elected representatives- across the political spectrum. Our elected governments, once they become clean and ethical – will then stop patronizing boot lickers, corrupt and inefficient officers and personnel-that very day things will start improving.
Unfortunately ,the reverse continues to be the norm. The most corrupt are the most coveted and become the ‘loved’ ones of our political executives and the honest officers, though increasingly depleted , have become “persona non grata” and are disliked and ostracised by our ruling class. This is the harsh reality of our governance. It has reached such a nadir that a courageous bunch of honest IAS officers of Uttar Pradesh cadre were compelled to launch a self cleansing campaign against corruption .They tried to marginalize the corrupt officers amongst themselves by identifying the three most corrupt IAS officers -through secret ballot voting. When the list of the three most corrupt IAS officers of UP cadre was submitted to the government, both state and central, took refuge in silence and refused to take any action against the tainted officers! Instead, those who spearheaded the campaign were viciously hounded by the political class . Ironically, two of the three named’’ most corrupt’’ IAS officers were chosen to head the bureaucracy and elevated to the post of Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh. This was the handiwork of the then chief minister -the head of the popularly elected government .Who will bell the cat and enforce clean governance?
Clearly the hapless people of our country deserve an honest and efficient system to ensure their well-being and consequent national progress, but that has not happened even after nearly eight decades after attaining independence. Efforts to weed out the corrupt and inefficient is the need of the hour but who will do it is the humungous question. One simple question has to be faced and asked- Has any one of those occupying salient positions in our bureaucratic ladder today -has he/she ever in his long tenure of service in the center and states -dared to show the courage to throw out even one corrupt officer under their charge? Or have they ever even dared to withhold the integrity of even one corrupt officer serving under them -at any point of time during their long careers? Or did they ever dare use the FR 56(j) to compulsorily retire even a single government official under their charge for inefficiency or corruption?
The answer to these questions will tell whether the PM’s lofty directive to Union Secretaries will fructify.
(Vijay Shankar Pandey is former Secretary Government of India)
