Bill to make babus more accountable, transparent
In a move to ensure greater accountability and transparency within the bureaucracy, the government is firming up a draft Civil Service (Performance and Accountability) Bill, an early version of which has been vetted by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The law will be the first to codify procedures which govern the performance of individuals in all-India services as well as institutions. It will also monitor civil servants’ targets and achievements, and link these to the performance of their departments.
Top officials said this was one of the most significant steps taken by the UPA government to promote transparency in administration after it opened up the government’s records to public scrutiny through the Right to Information Act.
The bill envisages a Central Civil Services Authority to make key recommendations on appointments to senior government positions. A significant change will be to let the CCSA, which will operate as an independent entity, a say in appointments at the level of joint secretary and above.
The CCSA will be tasked with examining the past performance of officers and evaluate his/her future potential before making its suggestions, sources said.
The bill includes features like civil service values, a code of ethics and conduct for the civil services and performance management of the all-India services. It may also from time to time review implementation of these “civil service values”.
The department of personnel and training, which drafted the bill, has recently sent it to the PMO for its comments. “We hope to give final shape to the bill soon,” a senior official said. The bill has been in the pipeline for over three years, and was among the recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission.
Officials acknowledged there was a strong need to purge the bureaucracy of corrupt practices and unaccountability given the rising concern over the nexus between corrupt politicians, corrupt bureaucrats and businessmen, which has become a matter of intense public debate.
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