Rules are the same for everyone be it a common person, government employee or a senior officer. Meeting the expectations of the general public is the most important responsibility. To remain unaware of responsibilities or be apathetic towards them is unethical, said the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. He said this while speaking at a workshop on the subject of ethics in governance held at the secretariat on Tuesday.
Speaking at the workshop, the chief minister said that the behaviour of people in the administration and government makes the image of the government. A good image sends a positive message while a bad image sends a negative image to the public. “We are ethical if we do justice to our responsibilities but if we remain unaware or careless towards our duties, it comes under the category of unethical conduct. It is our conduct that makes us great. Even after good education or achieving a senior position, if our conduct is not good then the education and senior position are immaterial. Ravana was very knowledgeable but his conduct was not ethical,” said Rawat.
He went on to state that the people living in the remote areas of the state have great expectations from the government. He said, “The higher the position, the greater the responsibility. The society, especially the younger generation too has great expectations from us. Every person ultimately aims for happiness and real happiness is possible only through ethical conduct. The secretariat is a very important institution. The decisions taken here affect the lives of lakhs of people. One needs to desist from the tendency to delay taking decision or disposal of files. We will automatically benefit if the welfare of our State is ensured,” stressed the chief minister.
Addressing the officials in the workshop, the chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh said that the knowledge of right and wrong is essential while taking any decision. He said, “If there is any dilemma while taking a decision, considering the poorest person in society, one should consider whether anything is being done for that person through the decision. The State has given us a lot, we will have to return more than that to the State. The targets for 2020 have been ascertained on the basis of ethics. We will have to make all possible efforts for achieving these targets. Observing ethics in routine life, one should ensure disposal of files on time. People put their faith in us and meet us or phone us to communicate their problems. It is our responsibility to listen to them carefully and attempt to provide all possible relief,” said Singh.
The director general of police Anil Kumar Raturi said that all official are fully aware of the rules. By observing these rules, ethics can be maintained in civil service. Efficiency, knowledge and attitude are very important. Stating that this workshop is an important opportunity for self assessment, he stressed on the need for knowing right from wrong. “Improvement in the quality of life of the general public is the main aim of the administration. The government officials receive good salary and other facilities while there is a large section of society which has to struggle even to meet its simple needs. It is very important for officials to remain available for the general public,” he said. Additional chief secretary Om Prakash the biggest responsibility of government officials is to discharge their duties. It is also important to control personal ambitions. If any personal ambition causes undue problem to someone else, then it is unethical, he said.
Additional chief secretary Radha Raturi said that this was the first workshop organised on ethics in governance. Similar workshops will be held also for other officials and directorates. Principal secretaries, secretaries, additional secretaries and officials to the level of section officers were also present in the workshop.
