The practice of file notings in the governmental system leads to an enormous build-up of paperwork and delays in decision-making and this needs to be substituted by some better methods such as parallel processing, suggests a former bureaucrat in his new book. In “A Tide in the Affairs of Men: A Public Servant Remembers”, Prateep K Lahiri talks of his days in the secretariat in the central government and in Madhya Pradesh to his varied experiences during other relevant postings. “This will not only do away with time-consuming consultations on file but will make the official concerned responsible for the decision taken,” he claims. “Individually many of them are competent, honest and hardworking, but the system is such that it often renders them ineffective. Consequently, a holistic review is necessary and unless systemic reforms are actually implemented, good governance would remain a chimaera,” he says.

Source: Indian Express February 11, 2018 07:52 UTC