Innovative administrators: Who will bell the cat?

In a three-day conference attended by the deputy commissioners (DCs), the key functionaries of district administration in the country, the Prime Minister (PM) has given them a 21-point directive - pertaining to efficient execution of major government policies and programmes. Such conferences are held once a year and offer useful opportunities to the district administrators for open interactions as well as 'closed' ones with the head of the government.

The key message the PM has given to the DCs in the conference is that they need to apply their best abilities in implementing her government's core agenda regarding poverty alleviation and policies and programmes on a host of development activities. While asking them to perform at their best level, the PM also advised them to change their mindset and work without fear or favour. "You should not be engaged only in routine activities. You will have to come out of old bureaucratic mentality and adopt new ways and strategies of work for the welfare of the people in your areas," she said while inaugurating the three-day conference at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Needless to say, as the key field-level operatives the DCs should feel inspired hearing such words from none other than the PM, given the hazards they are to face almost on a daily basis in the performance of their activities -- not all of which fall in line with their mandated duties.

It is no doubt reassuring that the PM, while highlighting her directives, has called upon the DCs as potentially capable of bringing desired changes through their work, most of which are integrally linked to the major policies of her government. Some of the critical areas where the DCs were asked to work hard and remain vigilant include: checking human and drug trafficking, building increased awareness against terrorism, militancy and extremism,  stopping food adulteration, acting tough against repression on women and children, protecting environment and conserving water bodies, guarding against unscrupulous moves to create artificial food crisis and so on. The DCs were also asked to work with the public representatives at the grassroots to establish good governance and to promote the use of information technology. They were directed to stay alert to protect government lands, and ensure efficiency and transparency in land management. Taking up special programmes for the welfare of the physically challenged and people with special needs also figured conspicuously in the PM's directives.

Now, while appreciating the need for such conferences, one has reasons to be sceptical whether these district-level key functionaries of the government are in a position to work in keeping with the responsibilities that they are vested with, or are well disposed in the performance of their duties, free from undesirable interventions. That is to say, do they have enough scope in their jurisdictions to accomplish their work in a manner they consider appropriate? To be more precise, do they have the opportunity to be innovative, especially in undertaking development work or in cases where they may have especial expertise?

Innovative activities do demand high merit when they come from people associated with such activities. Given the field-level experiences of the DCs, it is quite appropriately expected of them to deliver services in a befitting manner in myriad fields including those in situations which require urgent steps such as natural calamities. It is here that they need to be innovative- thinking and acting out of the box. This is one of the most effective methods to be applied, as and when necessary. The PM's speech addressed to them highlighted this aspect. Asking them to come out of what she termed 'old bureaucratic mentality' in order to adopt new ways and strategies of work, she made it amply clear that depending on circumstances and situations, they will have to be beyond the pigeonhole to be able to deliver in a meaningful way. This, of course, is not intended to mean that such innovative or out of the box initiatives should hinge on any irregular conduct. Understandably, all that one is required to do is to be innovative and proactive in the first place. Historically, bureaucracy in our system is reactive and there are indeed reasons that contain even good initiatives not to advance far beyond the stereotype. While lack of accountability is a vital factor here, a more important one that inhibits proactive initiatives is the absence of recognition - a culture that one may attribute as a big lacuna in our bureaucracy.

Besides, frequent and at times undue intervention from political quarters is a recurrent phenomenon that most district heads are too familiar with. In most cases, they remain perilously occupied with how to get along with such situations rather than trying to accomplish the work in right earnest. So, although they are supposed to work without 'fear or favour', it is often not in their capacity to determine the modus operandi. The old adage thus keeps on renewing its validity - who will bell the cat?

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