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Downsizing the government

R. Sundaram, e-mail

The remarks in the Economic Survey presented to the Lok Sabha on downsizing the government, making a distinction between departmental undertakings and the rest, seems intended to mollycoddle the babus in the secretariat. At least, the f ormer have some claims to provision of products and services to the society, while the latter really scrounge on it.

While the government makes the right formulation, at least most of the time, its credibility in the issue of downsizing is questionable. It says that all employee positions that are symbolic of bureaucratic controls will be identified and eliminated. And that it does not need ponderous studies to trim the layers of bureaucracy of at least eight (officer level) posts in the central secretariat and axe the non-duty posts of the cadre strengths of the superior services, without any further ado.