‘Overhaul needed in governance’

IDEA-bankrupt functionaries, unnecessary delays and unfathomable procedures. Communications Minister Arun Shourie on Saturday lashed out aga...

IDEA-bankrupt functionaries, unnecessary delays and unfathomable procedures. Communications Minister Arun Shourie on Saturday lashed out against hurdles that “domesticated” officials create, which end up curbing government competence.

Delivering the keynote address on ‘Governance: From Red Tape to Red Carpet’ at the India Today conclave, Shourie said government procedures need to be envisioned afresh, so that the “maze” of bureaucracy does not drain fresh ideas.

“Every officer thinks no harm would come to him if he moves around in this maze, but motives will be attributed if he cuts corners,” the Minister said. He added that the “core competence” of officials and many ministers is that they had learnt how to negotiate this maze.

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On reforming the system, Shourie said change must be dedicated to a larger cause and not to individuals. “Redefining the state is a way to get out of the maze and not devoting yourself to individual issues,” he said. “When you work on reforming the system, the individual problem will itself be attended to,” he reasoned.

A blindly conformist government hierarchy is inconducive to reform, Shourie said. “With too much hierarchy, where views of those right on top mean a lot, the entire structure is permeated by cliche,” the minister said.

Shourie also compared government structures with a “coral reef.”