“Policy Paralysis” phrase finally slips into sarkari training sessions of officers

THE government has always blamed media, directly or indirectly, for using the phrase “policy paralysis” while describing no-movement of files for months, periodically. But the phrase has actually slipped into the sarkari discourse and even in government-sponsored training programmes for its officers.
Indian Administrative Service officers and those working under Central Staffing Scheme will now undertake…

Can a few bureaucrats make India story as attractive as it used to be?

Ex-IAS VS Gopalakrishnan's creation, Mohenjodaro

THE moment India’s fourth quarter GDP dropped to the level of shocking 5.3 percent, the policy-makers finally woke up. It was the worst nightmare as many UPA bigwigs refused to buy the theory of policy paralysis dismissing it as a media creation. But numbers can’t lie. The panic button was already pressed.

If the serial events of the last few days have anything to go by, a few bureaucrats at the level of secretaries have virtually been entrusted the daunting task of ending “policy paralysis” and stop a further slide to the growth numbers. Who are those bureaucrats, and whether…

Indian bureaucrats discover Bikini Model; reveal all but learn to hide too

How Not To Take Wrong Decisions

AS the winter session of Indian Parliament is heating up with Opposition parties seizing every opportunity to paralyze the government, Indian bureaucrats have discovered a new method, Bikini Model, to save the government. A widely circulated daily has run a story saying how bureaucrats decided not to reveal too much while replying to the questions asked by Members of Parliament. Joint secretaries of every Central government department anchor the preparation of answers to the Parliamentary questions. To make their political masters happy, the bureaucrats have now reportedly written answers as if everything is revealed whereas in reality, the real part is being hided, a typical Bikini Model phenomenon.

If observers in Raisina Hills are to be believed, Indian bureaucrats have, for the first time in the last 64 years of Independence, become so cautious in taking even the routine decisions. Many call it a perfect example of policy paralysis .The babus are now extra-cautious in writing each line on an official file, as file-notings are covered under the Rights to Information Act. This means there is a chance of bureaucrats being dragged into future controversies after interpreting the notings. After all, former telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh has come under the CBI radar after nine years of his retirement. He was a part of a policy which according to the federal investigating agency caused a loss of Rs 508 crore to the exchequer. But the larger question is: why after nine years?

The level of fears among bureaucrats has gone to an extreme end. If a contract is to be given to a particular company, the bureaucrats taking the final call, do assessments whether that company could in near future be merged with a bigger entity, say Reliance or Adani. Will the concerned bureaucrat at a later stage be hauled up for being a part of a larger conspiracy to award a contract to a smaller entity, but knowing fully well that the entity would finally be bought over by a large conglomerate? Many bureaucrats say the command over astrology is now becoming as important part in decision-making as understanding the file correctly! The challenge is much more than tweaking rules that Indian bureaucrats have mustered over the years.

Action and Appointments

a) NK Nampoothiry, ILS and additional secretary in ministry of law and justice, has been appointed as special secretary in the department of legal affairs under the ministry of law and justice.