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- Vinod Rai, the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, shared his views on the state of governance in the country in a speech at the National Police Academy recently.
- He listed three propositions, asking the assembled audience to react on them. He proposed that, “Governance is at its lowest ebb. That morale of the Civil Servants is low. That credibility of the government is at its lowest. That decision making has become a Casualty.”
- Rai, in his speech, explains why he makes these propositions. “We have Union Cabinet Ministers who are in prison. We have Union Cabinet Ministers who have also had to vacate their positions again, allegedly on complaints of ill doing. We have Members of Parliament who are being indicted by the Judiciary for various acts including accepting cash for exercising their vote in parliament and also seeking cash to ask questions in the House.”
- Rai went on to say that “the moral fabric of the nation seems to be tearing apart in the absence of an optimal governance system, characterised by a near total absence of accountability; where loyalty takes precedence over the sense of one’s duty, and where national interests are often, and with impunity, subjugated to individual gains.”
- Some important part of his speech is appended below:
- In a world marked by terrorism, extremism, insurgency, economic and cyber crimes along with traditional crimes, more often than not the presence of a friendly policeman is reassuring and comforting.
- Speaking in the Constituent Assembly, he said, “these people (All India Services) are the instruments. Remove them and I see nothing but a picture of chaos all over the country.”
- I wish to make three propositions before you today and would seek to have your reactions on whether you agree on those
- First: Governance is at its lowest ebb. That morale of the Civil Servants is low. That credibility of the government is at its lowest. That decision making has become a Casualty.
- Second: That situation is too deleterious for the Nation. That too much is at stake for too many in such a situation.
- Third: On you and officers of the All India Services, among others, rests the onus to remedy the situation. You and I have a part to play. We can make the difference.
- The First proposition:
Why do I make this statement? We have chief ministers who have had to vacate their positions allegedly for Graft: On whom courts and other Judicial bodies have made adverse pronouncements. We have Union Cabinet Ministers who are in prison. We have Union Cabinet Ministers who have also had to vacate their positions again, allegedly on complaints of ill doing. We have Members of Parliament who are being indicted by the Judiciary for various acts including accepting cash for exercising their vote in parliament and also seeking cash to ask questions in the House. - Now I come to my second proposition:
Why do I say that too much is at stake for too many people? As all of you are aware, we are among the fastest growing economies of the world. From contributing to 6.2 percent of GDP of the world today, by 2040 we would be contributing about 8.8 percent. This is indeed commendable. But, there is no room for complacency for the simple reason that countries like China would leap from 13.7 percent to 19.4 percent over the same time frame perhaps replacing USA, Japan and Germany. We have to ensure smooth economic development. We have to ensure ‘inclusive growth’. It is a poor commentary on our attempts to foster growth if 64 years after independence we still believe Rs 32 defines a poverty line! The future of 1.2 billion people is at stake. We are living in an era where good governance has assumed primacy in public discourse as it is expected to lead to improvement in quality of life of citizens by reinforcing the legitimacy and credibility of our institutions and improving quality of public service. - My third proposition:
The representatives in this Hall today are one set of officers who stand at the portal of entering the All India Services. Another set of officers are those who have already spent about 15 years in Government and have formed opinions about how best to deal with situations as they arise. The earlier that both sets of officers accept that there is need to promote change and thereby introduce innovation, the earlier we would have established the efficacy of the police service and thereby credibility of government. This would restore public confidence in the state. - I would like to conclude with the advice of the father of our nation to the bureaucrats who face dilemmas in decision making to recall the face of the poorest Indian and to examine whether the action to be taken will make his life better and to go ahead if it does so. May, this suggestion be a beacon for your long official life ahead.
