People-friendly IAS officers are rarely available these days. They do not simply mingle with the crowd. They sit at a place where ordinary people can’t enter.
Taradatt was never placed in the race for Chief Secretary mainly because he doesn’t have much serving time in hand. On being asked, he says he is obliged to God for being put to the most rigorous public scrutiny to get a credibly clean chit, which would not have been possible under any other circumstance. The youngest and most highly inspired Injeti Srinivas chose to get away because he would never indulge in politics for self gain.
The senior-most Ashok Tripathy messed up blurring on focus and not ever being assertive on stands of principle. His wife, incidentally, figures in the list of ‘discretionary quota’ land beneficiaries. Upendra Nath Behera was acceptable to all, but he could not lobby against the formidable Aditya Prasad Padhi, who had the advantage of enviably incredible access to the chief executive. Padhi has also the age advantage. He is outwardly suave and decent, but the common man down the street would never yell joyously, “look, our friend Adityababu is bargaining with the brinjal vendor out there.” Reportedly, the senior-most ‘cadre DG’ Binoy Behera and Aditya Padhi were batch-mates in the all-India Service fraternity of Odisha. There was some talk among common friends that chum would help chum and Binoy would be next DGP and Aditya the chief administrator. Maybe, Aditya could not marshal enough support for the IPS friend. The fixers now say Binoy would have been a disaster for being stubborn and difficult.
All the same, the new Chief Secretary has very tough tasks ahead mainly because the social media is extra alert, watching everything wide-eyed. Social activists made life of Tarun Kanti Mishra miserable. The Chief Secretary of today may have daunting tasks to complete. There is talk of wilful dilution of the Taradatt Taskforce recommendations in the matter of Discretionary Quota beneficiaries. Though more than nine months have passed since the State Cabinet accepted the recommendations of the taskforce, the Government is yet to finalise the guidelines for cancellation of multiple plots or houses allotted to same persons of a family. Strangely, the list of beneficiaries uploaded on the Government website has been slyly removed, which indicates sabotage attempts by vested interests are continuously on.
The Chief Secretary harped on tackling the drought situation, which is a good thing for the poor and marginal farmers. Similarly, he made some populist promises including rural housing and electrification, irrigation, health, education and employment-generating bigger investment by outside promoters. He has forgotten some of the most terrible health hazard issues that drain much of public money on keeping public health and hygiene in good shape. A great deal of anxiety is being expressed publicly about ‘Gutkha ban’, ‘highway liquor shop ban’ and ‘polythene ban’. But Gutkhas are sold quite around the Secretariat building; polythene bags are strewn at all public places; and highway alcohol is abundantly available round the clock.
laws and rules have been made long ago, but greedy traders and manufacturers keeps reaping harvest by defying law. Authorities choose to remain deaf and dumb for obvious reasons. Undermining the rule of law should necessarily worry the new Chief Secretary evidently brought up in a highly-cultured family. Gutkhas, highway liquor and polythene must go without delay. Incidentally, lord Jagannath is also suffering from polythene overdose in the Anand Bazaar, the divinely majestic temple restaurant. Ppalm leaf carry containers are no more seen. Palm trees are being felled for stupid reasons and the weaving skills among village women have virtually gone. Adityababu must look beyond the routinely ordinary issues which every Government official and political executive sings at every other public event.
The Revenue Department had issued an order as part of its guidelines to implement the Registration (Odisha) Amendment Act-2013, which restricts sale of property belonging to the Government and various religious institutions, including the Puri Jagannath Temple. lawyers went on strike as land sale deed execution diminished in number. The mindless media people wrote crap without understanding the Act denying land sale registration if the vendor fails to prove right, title and interest over the property. Nowhere does the law mention of an ROR to be produced before the registering authority. This people-friendly Act is saving thousands of gullible owners today from being duped by unscrupulous land sharks. But lately, there is report that registering authorities are violating the law and permitting sale deed execution without proof of right, title and interest. A rogue district Sub-Registrar, while serving at Puri, was caught getting sale deed executed even by dead persons and ghosts for hefty bribes. The officer was dismissed.
The ordinary citizens are keen to know how excessively-paid public servants perform and behave to keep the masters happy. In a Federal system, the component States have a general Administrative Department under the authority and direct control of the Chief Minister. The Chief Secretary is the kingpin of the State administrative machinery. He has absolute control over all the administrative offices of the State. He is also the chief public relations officer of the Government and, hence, the main link between the State, the Centre and other States.
His role is much wider than that of the Cabinet Secretary of the Central Government. At the Centre, the Home Secretary, the Finance Secretary, the Prime Minister’s personal and political secretaries are all equally powerful and independent decision makers in their respective fields. But the Chief Secretary of a State is the highest authority: the Cabinet Secretary and the chief of the Public Service Commission. So, the Chief Secretary is kept out of the tenure system. He may retire as Chief Secretary or get transferred to some more important position under the Central Government.
He is the principal advisor to the Chief Minister. Along with his own, he also coordinates the activities of all other departments to bring parity between policy and implementation. Every Minister is expected to seek opinion and advice from the Chief Secretary before taking critical decisions, particularly while adopting a new policy, programme or deviating from existing rules, norms and customs and in cases of appointment, confirmation, transfer or promotion of an officer to the rank of deputy chief or higher posts in any department.
As the Cabinet Secretary, he decides the agenda and venue of the Cabinet meetings and also maintains the necessary records. He controls and supervises all the departments, and through him all Government orders, directives, et cetera, are sent to the other high ranking officials. He represents the State in the zonal council and also acts as its secretary on rotation. He also manages those affairs which do not fall within the jurisdiction of other Secretaries. He is the ex-officio chairman of innumerable committees taking important decisions. During Emergency periods, the Chief Secretary acts as the nerve-centre of his State. During a natural calamity, he monitors and supervises relief and rehabilitation works by acting as coordinator between the State and district offices.
Most Chief Ministers depend on Chief Secretaries because of their experience, skill and coordinating capacity. The Chief Secretary is the key participant at conferences convened by the Central Cabinet Secretary, where he presents the status of the State and justifies entitlements.
So, Aditya Padhi has to be extremely cautious about how he guides the Chief Minister and leads the herd of political executives and the entire bureaucracy. He has to be extremely smart to keep political masters happy, the people happier and the rising tribe of civil society activists armed with sophisticated social media networks, happiest only to survive and sustain with dignity. To excel as an able bureaucrat, a great deal of sacrifice has to be made both at workplace and home to keep everyone cool, content as new information technology forces transparency at every ‘public interest’ activity hub.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)