"Don't Merely Treat Symptoms...": Top Bureaucrat On Good Governance

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Friday told secretaries to get to the root cause of public grievances and address them, saying "not merely treat the symptoms but treat the disease" and not get overwhelmed by the volume of files.

He also said central government offices should have creches, gymnasiums, cafeterias and efforts should be made to keep them clean and presentable as physical environment had a bearing on work efficiency.

Addressing a workshop on 'Good Governance Practices' organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Gauba said what had been done during the Swachhta Special Campaign 2.0 should be turned into a regular practice and asked officials not to wait for special drives.

Gauba also released the Special Campaign 2.0 Assessment Report at the event, which was attended by many secretaries in the central government.

"Good governance is ultimately about improving outcomes and improving the delivery of services. It is about effectively addressing public grievances.

"I think officers should go a step further to address the root cause of public grievances. (Do) Not merely treat symptoms but treat the disease," Gauba said.

He added that officers should not get "overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work and routine files. There should be time to reflect and for collective thinking within the departments and ministries to resolve public grievances".

Gauba reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on ministers and secretaries sitting with their colleagues, including those at the bottom of the hierarchy, discuss issues related to the ministry.

Underlining that the physical environment had a bearing on work efficiency, Gauba advised the secretaries to make their offices cleaner and more presentable.

"One of the important factors which has a bearing on our efficiency is physical environment. Our offices need to be much cleaner, they should be more presentable with better amenities.

"There should be a cafetaria, there should be facilities for exercise, gymnasium, every office should have a creche. It should be a regular feature of the offices," Gauba said.

Talking about e-office, Gauba said its use had substantially increased and suggested there should not be parallel files for the same task. Now, with e-office 7.0, there are many additional functionalities, including analytics, available.

He hoped that the migration to e-office 7.0 would be completed by February end.

The e-office 7.0 allows users to view multiples files simultaneously, divide the computer screen into four parts and view previous notings.

The prime minister has given a call for concerted efforts to make a "New India" by 2047 and it is only possible through good governance, which provides greater efficiency, people-friendly government and higher transparency, he said.

"Prime Minister Modi has articulated his vision of good governance, which includes 'Minimum Government, Maximum Governance' and 'Whole of Government' approach. In the last few years, more than 3,500 minor violations have been decriminalised and this is also part of good governance, which includes trusting the citizens," Gauba said.

Speaking at the workshop, DARPG Secretary V Srinivas said 373 best good governance practices identified were discussed in detail at district-level workshops across the country. Forty-three success stories will be shared during the ongoing 'Sushasan Saptah' (Good Governance Week), which concludes on Sunday.

In his welcome address, Srinivas said 'Prashasan Gaon Ki Ore' (Administration Towards Villages) - 2022, a nationwide campaign for redress of public grievances and improving service delivery, is being held in all districts, states, and Union Territories.

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