Krishna sets agenda for new era of governance

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">BANGALORE: ``I have embarked on the more realistic and difficult phase of the reforms process initiated by this government. It''s time to remind my ministers and bureaucrats of some basic concepts which they may be beginning to forget,'''' Chief Minister S.M.Krishna told <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">The Times of India.</span><br />After a seemingly brief period of drift, Krishna is back to serious business.Through separate strategy meetings on two successive days last week, he has instructed his ministers and senior bureaucrats, in no uncertain terms, to get their acts together. Earlier, he had dislodged Industries Minister R.V. Deshpande and took over as chairman of the High-Level Committee which clears mega-projects in a move clearly meant to end inter-departmental bickering.<br />Giving the CM''s agenda a purposeful thrust is Dr A. Ravindra, chief secretary, who took over just about two months ago. <br />"The economic reforms and New Age technologies have necessitated certain fundamental changes in governance. We will have to rationalise the role of the state and ensure appropriate public service delivery mechanisms. The response from the ministers as well as the officials has been encouraging," says Ravindra. <br />Krishna''s next step will be to lay down specific time-limits. ``Pushing the reforms process to its logical end will hinge on swift decision-making and a sense of accountability. All aspects of governance will have to be executed in a time-bound manner. In the coming days, these issues will be clearly outlined,'''' he says. <br />Ravindra maintains that there was a niggling apprehension that the quality of administration was deteriorating and the recent initiatives were essential to to bring back the vibrancy. He adds: ``We now have a comprehensive strategy in place. The procedure of fixing accountability at different levels in the administration will happen. Within a month, all the departments will be submitting a list of archaic laws prevailing. They will be scrapped to make way for better functioning.''''<br />For instance, present laws make it mandatory for an industrial unit to maintain 24 different registers pertaining to the labour department. That will be reduced to just four, in due course. <br />``The time has come to hound out corrupt officials from the administration. This system cannot tolerate them anymore. The present Lok Ayukta has instilled a sense of urgency to contain corruption. We would certainly like to give the Lok Ayukta sharper teeth to gnaw at the root of this menace,'''' says Krishna. <br />That newly acquired steely edge is unmistakable. <br />Some steps in the offing:<br />* Investors will have a combined application form relevant to various departments. <br />* Functional reviews of 13 departments is under way. <br />* More powers to be delegated to district authorities. <br />* Rationalisation and redeployment of government employees across departments. <br />* A voluntary retirement scheme for government employees to be formulated.<br />* A committee''s study to strengthen village panchayats will soon be adopted.<br />* State-owned agricultural farms and hospitals which are posting heavy losses to be brought under private management. </div> </div>