news details |
|
|
| Vohra's experiment may lessen the burden on state exchequer | | | Gareeb Dass
Jammu | July 20
Governor,N.N.Vohra,has done the right thing.Instead of appointing advisers to him he has decentralised financial and administrative powers by having delegated powers to the Chief Secretary and the Administrative secretaries on taking decisions regarding development activities and on postings.This is likely to lessen the burden on the state exchequer.Financial experts say that appointment of four advisers for a period of four months could burden the state exchequer to the tune of over Rs.25 lakhs which includes salaries,perks and expenses on petrol by the advisers.
No doubt the Governor and the union Home Ministry had decided to appoint advisers but suitable people refused to accept the offer when they had to spend less than four months in the state.It could result in their dislocation.But this does not seem to have made Vohra to change his mind because he could have taken some prominent people,including retired jurists and bureaucrats,belonging to Jammu and Kashmir as his advisers.He opted for a new experiment which could reduce delays in the decision making exercise.And now the chief secretary and the administrative secretaries are decision making bodies who will have to ensure implementation of those decisions.By decentralising the financial and administrative powers the Governor has placed added responsibilities on the shoulders of the secretaries and the chief secretary who would cherish such a responsibility.
Between 1977 and 1990 Jammu and Kashmir had been placed under the Governor's rule,besides a a stint of over five year President's rule on three occasions.On all these occasions the successive Governors had appointed at least four advisers majority of them having come from outside the state.And some retired bureaucrats are of the opinion that during the period the state was placed under the Governor's rule they were to work under dual leadership.One was the leadership of the Governor and the other was of the advisers.
They said "we were the implementing agencies and we would frame the blueprint for some decisions and projects and the advisers simply signed on the dotted lines."They recalled that most of the advisers would not be available to people who wanted to get their problem resolved.To them the new experiment will help better interaction of the secretaries with people because these bureaucrats belong to the state and those from outside the state have been already known to the people.
Though Vohra has conducted a new experiment people would keenly watch the success of this experiment.Whether the Governor or the Chief Secretary or the administrative secretaries they no longer can afford to be stiff-necked bureaucrats as they have been over the years.The new responsibility has made it mandatory for them to act like peoples'representatives.They have to assume the role of people friendly officers because they have been given the powers which in a democratic structure is being enjoyed by ministers of state.Hence they are supposed to spare time for holding what is called durbar where they can listen to the problems of people and resolve them immediately.
I think after the Governor delegated financial and administrative powers powers to the Chief secretary and the secretaries these bureaucrats should be motivated by Vohra to visit various areas in the state for getting acquainted with the problems of people.The experiment may fail if these bureaucrats get stuck to their chairs in their rooms in the civil secretariat and remain inaccessible to people.Let them show to people that they can perform better than ministers.Usually senior bureaucrats function with a frown on their face.People dare not approach them because their behaviour is miles away from decency.They have,under the new situation,to be soft,polite and friendly whenever they interact with people. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
