Former GoI secretary Prof Prajapati Trivedi and his public administration award from ASPA

Prajapati Trivedi, an academic who served as secretary to the performance management department under cabinet secretariat during the UPA regime, has received the International Public Administration Award from the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). The award, considered prestigious in the field of public administration, is given to an individual who holds citizenship in a nation other than the USA; lives and works mainly outside America and contributes significantly to the field of public administration as a scholar, practitioner or both, as demonstrated by publications, awards and honours etc. Prof. Trivedi is currently a…

There is hunger for reforms & reinvention in govt: Cabinet Secretary Seth

CAN government bodies change their very DNA so that they habitually innovate and continually improve their performance without having to be pushed from outside? In a government newsletter, India's top bureaucrat and cabinet secretary Ajit K Seth concedes that there are many more miles to go before the government achieves the vision  of David Osborne, father of the term “reinvention”. In the July edition of the quarterly newsletter called,...

Central government employees of performing ministries to get incentives from 2012

Woh! Incentive Bonus Soon

ALL Central government employees may get performance-related incentives as the UPA government is set to implement Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) as was recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission. The employees will start getting the incentives from April 2012. According to The Hindu newspaper quoting unnamed government sources, the announcement in this regard would be made in a few days.

BoI (babusofindia.com) in a report dated May 10, 2010 reported how Dr Prajapati Trivedi, secretary of the performance management division under cabinet secretariat, worked out a proposal under which senior administrators like secretary or additional secretary would get a bonus of no less than 20% of their salary provided his ministry meets 100% target and saves money from non-plan expenditure. The joint secretaries and other employees in Central government would also be major beneficiaries of the proposal which has the blessings of cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar and understandably of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. But if the performance of a department/ministry is 70% or less, the concerned officials won’t get a penny as bonus. (Read: BoI report on incentives to officers, May 10, 2010)

According to media reports now, a Committee of Secretaries (COS) chaired by Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar approved the Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) on March 8, and details would be worked out soon. According to the proposal, all Central government employees working in performing departments (meeting over 70% targets) stand to benefit. Whereas for junior officials and employees, their own performance would determine the amount of incentives, the performance of the ministries or departments would count more in case of officers at the level of joint secretaries and above.

Currently, the performance of only 62 government departments are being judged by RFD (Results Framework Documents) system. So, it remains to be seen how the government would determine the incentives for officers of non-RFD ministries like PMO, home, defence and external affairs?

14^th April declared a Holiday

The government has decided to declare April 14 2011 (Thursday) as a closed holiday on account of the birthday of Dr BR Ambedkar for all central government offices, including industrial establishments throughout India. It is being notified in exercise of powers conferred by Section 25 of Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 (26 of 1881). 

Bureaucracy 2010: Unsung heroes in India's corridors of power

MN Jayakumar is not a familiar face in Delhi’s power centre dominated by bigwigs such as TKA Nair, KM Chandrasekhar and GK Pillai. Nor has he turned controversial like RK Chandolia or Ravi Inder Singh. But this low profile Indian Forest Service officer received an UN award for his spectacular photography of Indian birds. On the eve of year 2011, BoI salutes some unsung heroes whose works were underplayed in power reporting of babusofindia.com.

Wild life of an IFS officer

For MN Jayakumar, a 1979 batch Indian Forest Service officer and Karnataka’s Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, an affair with camera developed nearly two decades ago. In 2010, Jayakumar was selected for an UNESCO award, MFIAP, the highest distinction awarded by International Federation of Photographic Art for 20 of his images named “Spectacular Indian Birds”. Jayakumar’s photographs were displayed at exhibitions in countries such as England, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Australia, Scotland, USA and South Africa.

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1979 batch IFS

Prabhat Kumar gets applause in court

In this season of scams when bureaucrats along with their political masters are feeling the heat, here is a rare story of an IAS officer getting a virtual special jury award! Prabhat Kumar, a 1985 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS and witness to Neera Yadav case was termed 'very important' in its judgement by the court. Prabhat Kumar who served as deputy CEO at Noida Authority from January 1996 to April 1997, spotted faults in the corporate group housing scheme which was an open ended scheme with no ending date. Kumar got a special mention in the 73-page judgement passed by CBI special judge AK Singh at Ghaziabad recently.

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Who is Prabhat Kumar?

Dr Trivedi's performance maths 

A non-IAS officer Dr Prajapati Trivedi who spent most part of his life in the World Bank working in no less than 25 countries around the world, has spent the year on a mission to bring in efficiency of government administration. Dr Trivedi, secretary of the performance management division under cabinet secretariat, is the man behind the government’s recent attempt to assess the performance of each ministry and give marks to it. If the Cabinet approves, Trivedi’s formula of paying more to performing bureaucrats could become a reality.

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Who wants to make IAS a lakhpati?

IAS as a manipulative contractor

During Bharat Rang Mahotsav last January, Kerala’s tourism secretary Dr V Venu, a 1990 batch IAS, donned that role of a manipulative contractor as he acted in a Malayalam play ‘Palangal’, (bridges), an adaptation of the work of famous poet K Ayyappa Panicker.

Directed by D Reghoothaman and staged by Abhinaya theatres, Thiruvananthapuram, ‘Palangal’ depicts the events that surround the proposed construction of a bridge where Dr Venu came to the centrestage, literally

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Well on stage

(In Picture: Air Force Band playing at India Gate in New Delhi on December 26, 2010)

Mantras to crack civil service exam

Are you someone preparing for next year’s civil service exam? Log on to www.jobcorridors.com to spot 7 mantras during UPSC preparations.

What’s bottom-line in Govt? Dr Trivedi says 40% of salary of Central government officers to be linked to performance

THIS could be one of the major system changes in largely static Indian bureaucracy. As high as 40% of the salary of Central government employees will soon be based on performance, Dr Prajapati Trivedi, secretary, Performance Management Division of Cabinet Secretariat said on record while speaking to industrialists in a meet organized by industry lobby Assocham. He was making a point about how the government has made an effort to bring in accountability in the system.
On February 17, 2010, BoI (babusofindia.com) reported that 40% of a government employee's salary could be linked to performance, and promotion to additional secretary won't be a cakewalk.

Inaugurating 2nd CFOs Roundtable Conference 2010 organized by Assocham in New Delhi on Friday, Dr Trivedi said all 62 government ministries and departments on board have signed the tool called Results Framework Document (RFD) which will set targets for each ministry and will finally be the basis for yearly evaluation. “Results will be our bottom-line just like profits are the bottom-line of the private sector” he said, according to an Assocham release.

According to sources, the performance management division of the cabinet secretariat, has reportedly worked out a proposal under which senior administrators like secretary or additional secretary would get a bonus of no less than 20% of their salary provided his ministry meets 100% target and saves money from non-plan expenditure. That means, a secretary to a highly efficient ministry of the Government of India, who gets Rs 80,000 per month as salary may receive Rs 20,000 more, making him an instant lakhpati.

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Meet this non-IAS who wants to make performing IAS a lakhpati

Promotion to Additional Secretary won’t be cakewalk

Action and Appointments

a) Sanjay Kumar, a 1992 batch Nagaland cadre IAS and director in department of economic affairs (DEA) has been appointed as Additional Director in Financial Intelligence Unit-India. The FIU-India comes under the same finance ministry, but under the revenue department.

b) Jyoti Kalash, a 1990 batch Nagaland cadre IAS, currently on "compulsory wait" in the department of heavy industries has been selected for appointment as director in the ministry of home affairs (MHA).

Government finalizes a perspective plan for welfare of pensioners for next 5 years

ARE you a government pensioner, or someone retiring soon? Here is a chance to lobby for a better future as the government is finalizing a five-year perspective plan for welfare of central government employers and asking for views and comments.

The government in a circular dated July 12, 2010, requested 27 pensioners’ associations working towards welfare of pensioner community from various parts of the country to furnish their views or suggestions as it’s finalizing a strategic plan for the next five years under Results Framework Document (RFD) for department of pensions and pensioners’ welfare. It’s a part of government’s performance management system spearheaded by cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar and secretary Dr Prajapati Trivedi (Read: Meet this non-IAS who wants to make bureaucrats a lakhpati). The RFD not only contains agreed objectives, policies, programmes and projects, but “success indicators and targets” to measure the progress in implementing them.

The pensioners’ associations from whom views and suggestions are asked for, include All India Pensioners Association, Cuttack, All India Central Government Pensioners’ Association, Pune, All India Federation of Pensioners’ Association, Chennai, Retired Railway Employees Welfare Association, Gurgaon etc.

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Retired Korean bureaucrats clinch high-paying jobs

100 UP civil servants may be promoted to IAS

About 100 Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officers from Uttar Pradesh may soon be promoted to IAS. The department of personnel and training (DoPT) has been considering the proposal and is expected to take a call soon. There has been a delay of about six years for such a move, according to reports. In fact, provincial civil servants who have completed minimum eight years of service and are below the age of 54 on January1 in the year of selection are eligible for induction into IAS cadre.

BoI survey on Indian bureaucracy gives fractured verdict; 33% say it’s the “worst”; 32% say it’s “improving”; 9% “excellent”

THE perception about Indian bureaucrats as a force of stumbling block rather than facilitators has not really changed much despite a number of initiatives being taken to make Indian bureaucracy as effective as that of Singapore or Australia. BoI’s (babusofindia.com) fortnight-long online survey on whether Indian bureaucracy has improved or deteriorated has given a fractured verdict. Whereas one third of respondents support the recent outcome of Hong Kong-based consultancy firm Perc that Indian bureaucracy is the worst in Asia, another one third votes for the opposite option that Indian bureaucracy has in fact improved. But if the view of another 26% respondents that “it has deteriorated” is taken into account, as high as 59% respondents say Indian bureaucracy has either deteriorated, or it’s the worst in Asia. Mere 12% say it’s excellent.

The survey was conducted in the babusofindia.com blog itself, but the software did not allow anyone to manipulate the outcome as one respondent could not give more than one vote from one computer. The final score of the BoI survey of Indian bureaucracy, June, 2010 is as follows: Excellent: 9%; Improving: 32%; Deteriorating: 26%, Worst in Asia: 33%.

BoI has also spoken to a number of bureaucrats who agree that people’s perception about Indian bureaucracy has not changed much. They argue that despite Indian bureaucracy attracts best of the country’s talent and many administrators happen to be as professional as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, the system does not allow them to be an effective force like the civil servants of Singapore or Hong Kong. India is still one of the most difficult places for doing business, according to World Bank’s “Doing Business Survey, 2010”, which places India at the rank of 133 out of 183 economies. No wonder, the word “bureaucracy” is still used as a synonym to talk about procedural delays.

In fact, the extra-large size of Indian bureaucracy, non-existence of performance-linked incentives, political interference and complex nature of problems in India, have stopped Indian bureaucracy emerging as a performing bureaucracy. Will Dr Prajapati Trivedi’s performance management practices coupled with a possibility of announcing performance-linked bonuses make all the difference? Whether you are an insider or outsider of corridors of power, post your comment and get your voice heard. Keep reading babusofindia.com to find answers of many such questions, and more…

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Imagine a bureaucrat earning Rs 4.5 lakh extra by saving govt money; Canada launches pilot projects on save and earn

A BUREAUCRAT in Canada can now earn up to $10,000 (Approx Rs 4.5 lakh) if he succeeds in saving government money. Announcing this innovative incentive scheme for the Canadian civil servants, Treasury President Stockwell Day said that bureaucrats who come up with ideas that lead to measurable savings will be rewarded with incentives worth 10 per cent of the savings in the first full year of implementation, media report said.

In fact, the performance management division under India’s Cabinet Secretariat too is believed to have worked out a formula that the bureaucrats of performing ministries will receive incentive bonuses if his ministry reins on expenditure. The formula, being evolved by Dr Prajapati Trivedi’s team in Cabinet Secretariat is yet to get final nod from the government.

In Canada, the two-year pilot programme may soon begin in eight government departments though big-spending bureaucracies such as defence, public works and industry have not figured in the first list.

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved in-situ upgradation of Balbhadra Nayak, CSS, presently director, department of health and family welfare, as joint secretary in the department of health and family welfare.

b) Koppula Raju, a 1981 batch AP cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the National Advisory Council (NAC). Already, retired secretary of 1974 batch, Rita Sharma was appointed as secretary to NAC which is being chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

c) The ACC has approved the proposal for inter-cadre deputation of Diprava Lakra, a 2005 batch Punjab cadre IAS from Punjab to Jharkhand for period of three years or until further order.

d) Ms Preeti Madan, a 1981 batch IES, has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of women and child development.

e) UN Panjiyar, a 1973 batch Bihar cadre IAS and secretary in the ministry of water resources will hold additional charge of the post of secretary in the ministry of parliamentary affairs during the period of absence on leave of Anil Kumar, a 1973 batch UP cadre IAS from June 19, 2010 to June 27, 2010.

f) Depinder Singh Dhesi, a 1982 batch Haryana cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of commerce.

Gehlot directs top bureaucrats to simplify appointment rules

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot directed top bureaucrats to simplify rules and procedures for appointments as Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) is finalizing a calendar of job openings. For details, read Insider’s post in http://www.jobcorridor.com/

Ashok Chavan takes the Maha move to rank his departments' performance

THE Central government’s performance management division under the Cabinet Secretariat may not yet formally declare which departments or ministries met with 100 percent target in the first ever holistic evaluation system undertaken for three months beginning January 1, 2010, it’s now the turn of Ashok Chavan-led Maharashtra government to monitor the performance of each department in the state. In fact, Maharashtra is considered to be one of the better performing states, and many other state governments look forward to it for improving administration.

Chief minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday launched the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation System (PMS) to track performance of each department and make it more efficient. In fact, model is similar to what has been introduced by Dr Prajapati Trivedi’s team in the cabinet secretariat of the Centre as here too, each department would first set target and then try to achieve those. A special Delivery Monitoring Unit has been set up under the chief minister’s office for this purpose.

Hota committee on vigilance proceedings

A committee of experts under the chairmanship of former UPSC chairman PC Hota has been constituted to examine and suggest measures to expedite the process involved in disciplinary and vigilance proceedings. Former personnel secretary Arvind Verma and former Central Vigilance Commissioner P Shankar would serve as members of the committee.

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved the appointment of Anil Kumar, a 1976 batch Nagaland cadre IAS and presently special secretary in the ministry of power as principal adviser in Planning Commission in the rank and pay of a secretary.

b) The ACC has approved extension of inter-cadre deputation of Sukhbir Singh, a 1988 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS from Uttarakhand cadre to Punjab cadre by two months beyond July 2010.

c) The ACC has approved the proposal for premature repatriation of Amarendra Khatua, a 1981 batch IFS and joint secretary in the ministry of commerce, to his parent cadre.

d) Ms Gauri Kumar, a 1979 batch Gujarat cadre IAS, presently in the cadre has been appointed as additional secretary and financial adviser in the ministry of environment and forests against the newly created post.

e) The competent authority has approved that Ms Rita Sinha, a 1973 batch UP cadre IAS and secretary in the department of land resources will hold the additional charge of the post of secretary of department of drinking water supply under the ministry of rural development during the absence of leave of Ms Rajwant Sandhu, a 1975 batch HP cadre IAS from May 8, 2010 to May 23, 2010.

f) TV Somanathan, a 1987 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of corporate affairs.

Meet this non-IAS secretary who wants to make senior performing IAS a lakhpati

SOUNDS odd, but a non-IAS officer Dr Prajapati Trivedi who has spent most part of his life in the World Bank working in no less than 25 countries around the world, is now on a mission to bring in efficiency of government administration, and introduce a performance bonus for employees working in various central government ministries and departments. Dr Trivedi, secretary of the performance management division under cabinet secretariat, has reportedly worked out a proposal under which senior administrators like secretary or additional secretary would get a bonus of no less than 20% of their salary provided his ministry meets 100% target and saves money from non-plan expenditure. That means, a secretary to a highly efficient ministry of the Government of India, who gets Rs 80,000 per month as salary may receive Rs 20,000 more, making him an instant lakhpati. The joint secretaries and other employees in Central government would also be major beneficiaries of this new proposal which has the blessings of cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar and understandably of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. But if the performance of a department/ministry is 70% or less, the concerned officials won’t get a penny as bonus.

Significantly, the government has been toying with the idea of introducing a performance-linked payout to efficient government employees for the last 20 years, but has failed to deliver it so far. Even 6^th Pay Commission recommended a small portion of the government employees’ salary to be linked to performance, but that has not been implemented so far.

In fact, very few people in corridors of power now remember that Dr Trivedi as the economic adviser to government of India during 1992-94, worked closely with Dr Manmohan Singh, then finance minister, and Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, then finance secretary. A product of St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, Dr Trivedi is an MSc in economics from London School of Economics and a PhD from Boston University.

40% of a government employee’s salary could be linked to performance; promotion to additional secretary won’t be a cakewalk

IF THE government has its way, as high as 40% of the basic salary of an Indian government employee could be linked to performance. Though Sixth Pay Commission had recommended performance-linked incentives, it could have made a difference of just one or two percentage of an employee’s salary.

Also, the government has been contemplating to make the promotion from joint secretary to additional secretary much more rigorous, a senior cabinet secretary official told the Indian edition of an US magazine.

In fact, if the new formula of performance-linked pay is adopted, an employee with a basic salary of Rs 20,000 may find his performance determining the fate of Rs 8,000 of his pay. The issue cropped up in a meeting of committee of secretaries held on February 5, 2010, but it was not clear what finally transpired in that meeting.

Significantly, Dr Prajapati Trivedi, secretary (performance management), told Forbes India (issue dated Feb 19) that linking performance with pay was taken up by a committee of secretaries. “It’s just a matter of working out details. When done, upto 40% of the basic salary could be linked to performance. Then appraisal will not only have reputational implications but also financial”, he was quoted as saying in an article titled “Ranking our Netas”.

Dr Trivedi, who had a lateral entry into the government straight from the World Bank last year, has now been working on evolving a system of mapping performance of government departments and ministries. He further told the magazine on how the government would make the process of promotion from joint secretary to additional secretary much more rigorous.

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India seeks high standard of ethics among civil servants

Can every IAS, IPS and IFS be a Tendulkar? 

A clarification on bureaucrats assessing ministers

The cabinet secretariat has clarified that “it is not factually correct to say that the serving officers will evaluate the performance of the ministers”, as was reported in a section of media. The assertion that the system is run by a committee on government performance is not true. The committee does not evaluate the performance of ministries or departments. It merely provides technical support to facilitate such evaluation by the ministers concerned, the clarification said. The statement has further clarified that that a minister and secretary don’t need to jointly sign the Results-Framework Document (RFD), as was reported.

CVC disposes of 468 cases in December 2009

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) disposed of 468 cases during December 2009. The Commission advised initiations of major penalty proceedings against 70 officers. Of these, 20 were from public sector banks, 17 from ministry of railways, 11 from Northern Coalfields Ltd., 4 from Western Coalfields Ltd., 3 from MCD, 2 each from ministry of home affairs and Central Board of Excise and Customs.

Action and Appointments

a) Smt Justice Nirmal Yadav, Judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, has been transferred as a Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court.

b) Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru, Judge of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, has been appointed as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

c) Birendra Prasad Verma and Dinesh Kumar Singh have been appointed as additional Judges of the Patna High Court.

d) T Mathivanan, Ardhanariswamy Arumughaswamy and Ms KBKVasuki, have been appointed as Additional Judges of the Madras High Court.