The Week:Sachidananda Murthy:Tuesday, November 29, 2011.
There is little disagreement that the Manmohan Singh government has slowed down during the last two years. Ministers and bureaucrats fondly recall UPA I as the government of action, while they admit that UPA II has been more of inaction. Reasons attributed are many.
There are bureaucrats who blame the all-pervasive Right to Information Act as the reason for not pushing decisions. They say honest disagreements and bold views expressed in writing, from practical or commercial viewpoint, come back to haunt them when the file notings are made public. They blame the RTI zealots for turning the government into a fishbowl.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid has said that the denial of bail to corporate tycoons in corruption cases has affected investment sentiment. The Prime Minister is worried that the constant litany of corruption by the opposition and Team Anna has affected the decision-making process. But corruption taint and the urge for transparency are not the only reasons for the government's near-paralysis.
Even easy decisions are getting postponed. One such decision was the constitution of the National Monuments Authority, which was cleared 18 months ago. Nothing prevented Culture Minister Selja or the Prime Minister from appointing members of this authority, which will implement amendments to the heritage laws.
There have been petitions from scores of cities where building activity has come to a halt, as approvals from the authority are pending. Ramesh Jigjinagi, MP from Bijapur in Karnataka, petitioned Singh that his city is full of monuments and people have been apprehensive of losing their homes and livelihoods. Another city affected is Delhi, which is a city of ruins and heritage structures.
Now a peeved Delhi High Court has directed the government to constitute the NMA within 30 days. But this is not an exception. Several public sector undertakings have remained headless. Interestingly, the government took its own time to appoint the establishment officer, who functions as secretary of the appointments committee of the cabinet.
Implementation of schemes approved in the budget has taken time. Rahul Gandhi was incensed that the 3,000-crore package for weavers had not been implemented even while Uttar Pradesh, which has a large concentration of weavers, is going to polls. Textile Minister Anand Sharma rushed to the silk town of Varanasi to launch a credit scheme eight months after it was announced.
None of these decisions are pending because Parliament has not been functional, which has been the main excuse for not pushing economic and social reforms. These are administrative tasks to be done well in time by the ministers and secretaries. Singh and his colleagues have to look at the smaller decisions pending in their in trays so that governance gathers momentum. Indira Gandhi said in 1980 she would deliver a government that works. Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 said he would give a government that works faster. What better inspiration can there be for the Congress-led government in its second term.
There are bureaucrats who blame the all-pervasive Right to Information Act as the reason for not pushing decisions. They say honest disagreements and bold views expressed in writing, from practical or commercial viewpoint, come back to haunt them when the file notings are made public. They blame the RTI zealots for turning the government into a fishbowl.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid has said that the denial of bail to corporate tycoons in corruption cases has affected investment sentiment. The Prime Minister is worried that the constant litany of corruption by the opposition and Team Anna has affected the decision-making process. But corruption taint and the urge for transparency are not the only reasons for the government's near-paralysis.
Even easy decisions are getting postponed. One such decision was the constitution of the National Monuments Authority, which was cleared 18 months ago. Nothing prevented Culture Minister Selja or the Prime Minister from appointing members of this authority, which will implement amendments to the heritage laws.
There have been petitions from scores of cities where building activity has come to a halt, as approvals from the authority are pending. Ramesh Jigjinagi, MP from Bijapur in Karnataka, petitioned Singh that his city is full of monuments and people have been apprehensive of losing their homes and livelihoods. Another city affected is Delhi, which is a city of ruins and heritage structures.
Now a peeved Delhi High Court has directed the government to constitute the NMA within 30 days. But this is not an exception. Several public sector undertakings have remained headless. Interestingly, the government took its own time to appoint the establishment officer, who functions as secretary of the appointments committee of the cabinet.
Implementation of schemes approved in the budget has taken time. Rahul Gandhi was incensed that the 3,000-crore package for weavers had not been implemented even while Uttar Pradesh, which has a large concentration of weavers, is going to polls. Textile Minister Anand Sharma rushed to the silk town of Varanasi to launch a credit scheme eight months after it was announced.
None of these decisions are pending because Parliament has not been functional, which has been the main excuse for not pushing economic and social reforms. These are administrative tasks to be done well in time by the ministers and secretaries. Singh and his colleagues have to look at the smaller decisions pending in their in trays so that governance gathers momentum. Indira Gandhi said in 1980 she would deliver a government that works. Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 said he would give a government that works faster. What better inspiration can there be for the Congress-led government in its second term.
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