Energizing the Bureaucracy - Addl Inputs Needed

Dear Friends:

Energizing, Shaking and Making the Bureaucracy Deliver was highlighted as one of the top action items for the Central Govt by you in January. Below are the solutions proposed. Please review and if you have more specific and immediately implementable suggestions, please respond with your comments.

We look forward to the inputs!
Rajendra Pratap Gupta


Solutions Identified to Make Bureaucracy Deliver:

1. Bureaucrats need extensive training in soft skills with a focus on customer service, positive attitude and responsiveness in communications
2. The old acts and rules from the British era should be re-written
3. E-Governance should be introduced at all points of Government-Public interaction
4. Trainings for bureaucrats should focus on present realities in India than theoretical knowledge that helps no one
5. At least the top bureaucratic jobs (from Secretary to Director) should be contractual, performance-linked, and there should be options to induct personnel from the private sector
6. Top decision making positions should be held by persons who have the domain expertise and experience
7. Key Performance Metrics and Indicators should be clearly defined and communicated for top bureaucrats
8. The bureaucracy performance metrics should be changed from ‘procedure oriented’ to ‘result oriented’
9. There should be clear accountability and action for non-performance
10. Bureaucrats should be empowered to take fast decisions and protected when taking unbiased/honest decisions
11. Bureaucrats charged with corruption should be immediately suspended and if proven terminated from civil services
12. Retired bureaucrats should be barred from being appointed to corporate or board positions immediately after retirement, as it creates conflict of interest in their work before retirement
13. Honest officers should be awarded and celebrated
14. Conferences and meetings should be organized regularly for the bureaucrats with their counterparts from other developed countries, so that they could learn newer things from them
15. Political leadership should be kept away from interfering in practical day to day governance
16. The process of selection through UPSC examination needs to be modified. Only candidates who have minimum working experience of 2 years should be allowed to take the examination
17. Bureaucrats should be given trainings for the department/industry they are supposed to handle
18. Politicians should not be able to transfer them/influence their careers
19. Innovative management should be rewarded
20. There should be no reservation quota after their induction in services in promotions
21. For improving their efficiency, it is also important that they are not harassed by way of petty enquiries
22. A citizen's charter will also go a long way in making lower bureaucracy more responsible and result-oriented more