Big reform:Modi gov plans to redeploy bureaucrates
://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/big-reform-modi-government-plans-to-redeploy-bureaucrats-and-reduce-patronage-postings/articleshow/51504060.cms
Big reform: Modi government plans to redeploy bureaucrats and reduce patronage postings
Vasudha Venugopal
22 March 2016
New Delhi
Modi Sarkar is radically reorganising the bureaucracy, and the two signature reforms will be, first, one out of every five bureaucrats in the Centre will work on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's top priority schemes — Make in India, Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat, Digital India and Skill India — and, two, the long-standing practice of post-retirement sinecures will come under serious scrutiny.
To start with, 1,800 bureaucrats in top ministries, excluding a few such as the defence, will be scrutinised in the first phase, of which at least 400 will be put to work on half a dozen key schemes championed by the PM — unprecedented in India's administrative history.
The reform may also kill several posts created to accommodate retired babus.
Officials familiar with the reform plan told ET this redeployment will coincide with a broader plan to "rightsize" the government.
Recruiting high-skilled professionals and dedicated and specialist technology/communications team in each department are also part of this reform.
Officials, who spoke on the condition they not be identified, said a task force set up by the Prime Minister's Office ( PMO) and manned by "senior, trusted bureaucrats" will give its recommendations by April-end.
Officials from the cabinet secretariat, the department of personnel and training and the expenditure department are leading the task force and analysing manpower requirements and appointments in 600 departments, over
2,000 subordinate offices and over 10,000 aligned government organisations spread across the country.
The task force has been mandated to rationalise senior positions, review roles, and take a radical look at recruitment processes and numbers.
Giving an example, an official said many ministries retain posts for schemes even after schemes have been discontinued or merged.
"Across ministries there are officials deployed for the previous United Progressive Alliance government's flagship schemes that no longer exist... there is no work, but posts remain. And we need more people for the present government's programmes.
We are looking at ways to partly shift this workforce to priority areas of
the government."
The task force will identify "patronage postings" or post-retirement postings created across ministries over many years and
examine their utility.
Five meetings with senior officials, with the PM present in two, have been already held on this issue.
Reallocating work to states, since financial devolution to states has increased dramatically, is also a part of the plan.
"The government reduced the number of centrally-sponsored schemes to 27
from 72 last year. Now, with 42% of the central funds going to states, the
central bureaucracy must be refashioned," another official closely involved with the reform plan said.
Reducing the number of steps in making government appointments is also a
major goal for the task force.
Officials said if implemented thoroughly, the reform will reduce the number of ministries and departments, but added that this won't be the immediate effect. more
Big reform: Modi government plans to redeploy bureaucrats and reduce patronage postings
Vasudha Venugopal
22 March 2016
New Delhi
Modi Sarkar is radically reorganising the bureaucracy, and the two signature reforms will be, first, one out of every five bureaucrats in the Centre will work on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's top priority schemes — Make in India, Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat, Digital India and Skill India — and, two, the long-standing practice of post-retirement sinecures will come under serious scrutiny.
To start with, 1,800 bureaucrats in top ministries, excluding a few such as the defence, will be scrutinised in the first phase, of which at least 400 will be put to work on half a dozen key schemes championed by the PM — unprecedented in India's administrative history.
The reform may also kill several posts created to accommodate retired babus.
Officials familiar with the reform plan told ET this redeployment will coincide with a broader plan to "rightsize" the government.
Recruiting high-skilled professionals and dedicated and specialist technology/communications team in each department are also part of this reform.
Officials, who spoke on the condition they not be identified, said a task force set up by the Prime Minister's Office ( PMO) and manned by "senior, trusted bureaucrats" will give its recommendations by April-end.
Officials from the cabinet secretariat, the department of personnel and training and the expenditure department are leading the task force and analysing manpower requirements and appointments in 600 departments, over
2,000 subordinate offices and over 10,000 aligned government organisations spread across the country.
The task force has been mandated to rationalise senior positions, review roles, and take a radical look at recruitment processes and numbers.
Giving an example, an official said many ministries retain posts for schemes even after schemes have been discontinued or merged.
"Across ministries there are officials deployed for the previous United Progressive Alliance government's flagship schemes that no longer exist... there is no work, but posts remain. And we need more people for the present government's programmes.
We are looking at ways to partly shift this workforce to priority areas of
the government."
The task force will identify "patronage postings" or post-retirement postings created across ministries over many years and
examine their utility.
Five meetings with senior officials, with the PM present in two, have been already held on this issue.
Reallocating work to states, since financial devolution to states has increased dramatically, is also a part of the plan.
"The government reduced the number of centrally-sponsored schemes to 27
from 72 last year. Now, with 42% of the central funds going to states, the
central bureaucracy must be refashioned," another official closely involved with the reform plan said.
Reducing the number of steps in making government appointments is also a
major goal for the task force.
Officials said if implemented thoroughly, the reform will reduce the number of ministries and departments, but added that this won't be the immediate effect. more
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View all 107 comments Below 107 comments
Over the years successive Congress and Congress led government have been building a 'Congress dedicated body of bureaucrats who would work as their hench-men and channels for corruption. This has led to over staffing, collection of not only dead-wood but also petrified-wood. the steps enumerated above will certainly go long way in cleaning up and sprucing up the bureaucracy. more
Apr 26
Prabhakar Khanvilkar .y. (Hydroenergy planner,Energy monitor & corporate vigilance & construofficer)
Excellent and encouraging REFORM-step. Every citizen be treated at-par and no concessional/ relax standardized in employment , educations, scholarships is awarded now.Bureaucrat SHOULD AVOID negative impact in public / CITIZEN PROMPT review / surveillance is required on the performance of team forwork allocated honestly . more
Apr 16
Excellent. There are so many far-reaching reforms which the Modi govt has made, which are slowly cutting out the life from the huge anti-national and criminal network created by decades of corrupt government. This is one more. The Gold Excise duty reform has terrified the jewellers who are used to selling gold biscuits and jewels to big black money earners. The Real Estate bill will tackle another big asset purchased for parking black money. The GST bill, reforms to encourage use of cards instead of cash, Direct Benefit Transfer.. all these are cutting at the root of this network. Media will never publicise this work. Instead, they try to attack everything done by the Modi Government. It is time middle class educated people unite behind all such efforts by discussing them in local circles, and explaining them to those who do not understand the news-behind-the-news, which is suppressed especially by English media. more
Apr 13
1.This is very interesting and to be honored. But pl make sure that the bureaucrats are not influenced by the external agencies could be ......... 2. The term bureaucrat has negative impact in the public that they do not listen to the public (may not be all) 3. A review / surveillance has to be carried out by external agencies on the performance of the team for the work allocated more
Apr 12
