The Hindu Business Line : Service delivery

THE recently published review by the India Office of the World Bank on the course and content of the reforms process in India with particular reference to the achievement of the objective of reducing poverty is not exactly earth-shaking in its findings, being largely a reiteration of the familiar prescriptions that have been on tap for quite some time: greater fiscal responsibility, better public expenditure management, more vigorous mobilisation of resources, bolder scaling down of subsidies, steeper reduction of tariffs, increased investment in agriculture and faster expansion of social and physical infrastructure and more efforts towards their improved performance.

There has, in fact, been no dearth of diagnosis of the ills afflicting Indian economy and it will be harsh to criticise the Bank simply because it has proffered the same old wine in the same old bottle. Sometimes, it does help to be repeating oneself so as to wear down the resistance on the part of those for whom the advice is intended. There is at least one part of the review, however, which deserves to be taken to heart since it is an essential prerequisite to good and effective governance.

The Bank's critique of the delivery of India's public services must open the eyes of the people to a sorry state of affairs which is innately capable of being set right without much outlay from scarce public funds if only the governing class, composed of both councils of Ministers and higher echelons of administrators show the needed will, leadership and commitment.

There is, of course, one good thing that the Bank has to say about government civilian employees — that it is not unduly large by global standards. Civil service employment is 1.4 per cent of the population in India, as against 2.6 for Asia and 7.7 in OECD countries. Around 93 per cent of the employees fall in class III and IV categories, (office staff, peons, sweepers, messengers, watchmen and the like), most of whom, the Bank rightly says, "could be let go without any discernible impact on the functioning of the Government."

The review reveals that salaries of many categories of government staff are much higher than in the private sector. For instance, teachers under government get double the emoluments in the private sector, while low-end service workers clear 145 per cent more. Are they grateful? No, sir! Absenteeism among primary school teachers and healthcare workers are on an average 25 and 45 per cent respectively, the worst governed States (Bihar, UP) suffering from the highest absentee rates.

Making public servants work to optimum standards of productivity is at the heart of the reforms process. Without the service delivery being efficient and prompt, all other remedies will prove futile. On the other hand, public services of high quality and integrity will make up for all the other deficiencies to a considerable extent.

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