Endowed with a keen sense of acumen and perceptibility, possessed with brilliant foresight, farsight and insight into things and trained under the care and supervision of his late father Somnath Mishra, an administrator of repute, Prasanna Kumar Mishra has left behind him such an enviable track record in his chequered administrative career that few in the country can boast of. He held many important positions in his Indian Administrative Service (IAS) career as an Additional Chief Secretary of the Odisha Government and had his superannuation as a Union Secretary. His inimitable style of functioning, indefatigable zeal and timely dispensation without prevarications and procrastinations, endeared him to all sections of people. Today, he spends his time in reading, writing, philanthropy and altruistic activities. A noted columnist, his book Sweet Tamarind is a bestseller in the elite circles. In an interview to The Pioneer, Dr Mishra spoke to Sugyan Choudhury on his observations on administrative and societal issues.
What is your considered opinion regarding the prevailing scenario of administration in our StateIJ
I would like to quote Sardar Patel’s views on All India Services. In the Constituent Assembly he had said, “The Union will go; you will not have a united India if you have not a good all-India service which has the independence to speak out its mind.”
The other day, to a young friend’s question on the future of Odisha I had said, “I see her future neither in hockey nor in cricket; neither in sand art nor in Konark Festival. The future lies in her way of life. When I joined my Government job in 1966, I toyed with a notion that righteousness was the way that takes us forward and righteousness is the only trait that should permeate governance to make Odisha’s future bright. Many seem to have, by 2014, accepted banditry as governance philosophy. Odisha is off the rails.”
like any other organisation, any Government too has always been having criminal elements within. The process of weeding out such elements, however, goes slow when these elements operate with support and encouragement of the leadership. Criminality in governance has been yet another area of concern. Our system was based on a premise that Government decisions are always to be bonafide ones. This assumption no longer holds good. Many feel that caprice, criminality and conspiracy have relevance in governance. There are cases where the ones who stood up against such aberrations were tormented. We must find a solution.
It is alleged that common men are unable to get justice due to corruption and ineptitude in the higher echelons of administration. Is it trueIJ
What Odisha missed in the 14 long years of uninterrupted rule by one Chief Minister despite bourgeoning mining revenue can be appreciated from the following lines that sum up the raison d’être of a welfare State ;
One of the world’s staunchest and wealthiest welfare States, Norway, bends over backward to extend generous services to its five million people regardless of where they live. The nation’s mainland comprises 428 local municipalities, some with sparse populations tucked in remote corners of the Nordics. All have access to expensive doctors and good quality schools and the profits of a booming oil and gas industry.
How is the ambience around the Sub-Registrar’s office in Bhubaneswar even in 2014IJ Is it different from what it was in Cuttack or Baleswar when John Beams was Collector in the late nineteenth centuryIJ One needs money to acquire an iPad but brain to use it. The same applies to acquiring power and ensuring governance. Odisha’s dilemma seems to be over two irreconcilables — ruler’s strategy to remain in power and citizens’ craving for governance. Our tehsildars must make corrections in land records online and must not make people run for months, years. They must take note that our space scientists have made it to the Mars orbit in the first attempt. What I say about tehsildars applies to every other Government functionary.
It is a matter of great regret that top civil servants and police officers are allegedly involved in the chit fund scam. How then will the system deliver justice to the common manIJ
The matter is under investigation by the CBI. It may be premature to comment on this at this stage. However, corruption is a serious issue in Odisha today and some feel that indulging in corruption is their divine right. Odisha’s civil society is yet to demonstrate effectively that is does not tolerate corruption.
What remedial measures can be undertaken by the Union Government to inculcate a higher ethical standard of value among civil servants to make them closer to delivery of justice and fair playIJ
Good governance does not mean eight signatures, one above the other, approving a silly proposal emanating from the bottom. Good governance is not about a common man seeing a VIP only in dreams while the Black Cats are asleep. Good governance is about righteousness, accessibility and affordability. Why do the canteens near Government offices continue to have brisk businessIJ People seeking delivery of services, seeking justice, keep running. The Government of India seems serious about addressing the issue. People are getting restive.
How could the interest of the civil servants be protected and they may be made immune from political interferenceIJ Please tell some of your most memorable experiences in your administrative career. What’s your message to the future generation of civil servantsIJ
I recollect an important advice from a Minister of Odisha, Shri Basant Kumar Biswal. He was Finance Minister and I was Finance Secretary. “You are free to express your views on files,” he had told me on the first day, “may be in all cases I would go with you. But if I feel otherwise, I shall record my views and send the file back to you. You may, should you feel the Minister’s order needed reconsideration, again submit the file to me stating why your views and not mine should prevail. I may go with you, but if I don’t and reiterate my views, you need to accept it. I have taken full responsibility for my decision.” How I wish such uprightness was shown across the board!
Another incident: That was regarding the future of a new coal-based power station of a Government undertaking in Ib Valley. The power station was doing very well with very high plant load factor. If sold, it could fetch a good price. “We do not have money, but we have abundant quantity of coal. I would like to sell the power plant at good profit, invest that money on a new power plant; sell the plant and build another. Our State would be the powerhouse of the country.” Chief Minister Biju Patnaik had told me (I was Finance Secretary) his ideas on these lines a few times. After sometime, a proposal for selling this asset was referred by the Energy Department to the Finance Department. I made a noting on the following lines: “Whether a public asset will be retained as such or disposed of is an issue which falls in the realm of policy and Government is competent to take a decision in this regard. Once it is decided to dispose of the asset, the manner in which it would be done has to conform to established procedure.” Some days thereafter, the Chief Minister was having a discussion with the Energy Secretary and me. “Finance Secretary has a different view on disposal of the power plant,” the Energy Secretary apprised the CM. “Are you afraid of a political falloutIJ” He asked me. “My views are totally apolitical,” I replied. He wanted to know my views. I explained that through an open bid alone can we know the real market price of our asset, and since the Chief Minister was keen on getting the best price, we should not take recourse to any other modality. I also told him that since the plant was doing so well, we should go in for partial disinvestment, get a good premium on our shares and have a respectable flow of dividend income. That would be perhaps in the best interest of the State. He readily agreed and appreciatively raised both his long hands and said, “Go ahead and do whatever you feel to be in the best interest of the State.” He respected unbiased dissent and loved to go by it.
Odisha’s GDP at 42.38 billion US dollar is at par with the GDP of lithuania, the European country in the Baltic region. The country has a small population of three million. Odisha has 42 million people. Argentina has about 40 million people and her GDP is 448 Billion US dollar. This illustration is enough to understand where we are and what we can be.