The Punjab model

Punjab Government has decided to do away with its inefficient officers and employees. For this purpose, the State Government asked all its departments to pre-maturely retire the corrupt and inefficient officers and employees to provide a clean and transparent administration. Why can’t it be extended to Kerala too?

Many of the State Government employees in Kerala are doing little work or no work. The heap of files pending on their tables is an indication for this. The lame excuse of these employees is that the files were accumulated by the person just before him in his place and he is new to the post. And when a person asks about this he says: “These files are intended for CM’s Mass Contact Programme”. A thorough reviewing of the work record of these employees should be done and they should be allowed to continue in service until they meet the requisites. All officials absconding from their seat during work time for union work should be identified and they should be sent on leave for doing that work.

Since all officials are reluctant to do their duty in time, the ministers interfere and often land up in trouble unknowing the rules. And it is finally the court that rectifies the failing. The interference of court in all day-to-day matters of the government fingers to the inefficacy of the bureaucracy. The Punjab model to abandon the inefficient officials is quite welcome.

K A Solaman