tribuneindia...Mailbag

THIS refers to the news item “Punjab move to curb absenteeism by doctors” (September 16). A fairly good number of government functionaries posted in rural areas, away from main roads, playing truant is not a new phenomenon.

It is common knowledge that almost all the doctors and paramedical staff posted in peripheral health care units make daily trips from the nearby towns even if residential accommodation has been provided. As a result, in the hour of need, no medical aid is available to the needy. The local quacks have to be approached in such an eventuality out of compulsion. It is indeed an unfortunate situation. The doctors and the paramedical staff, though handsomely paid, are not meeting the health care needs of the rural masses. The deficiency in services in government institutions may be due to the lack of medicines and equipment attributed invariably to inadequate financial resources. However, punctuality and regular attendance by the staff and general cleanliness are the areas which need no extra funds but just a change in attitude.

Only time will tell how far the latest decision of the state government to involve the local panchayats in curbing the tendency of absenteeism among the staff has worked. It is, however, felt that frequent and surprise checks by district-level officers of the department, if carried out in a sustained manner, can be more productive. And defaulters need to be dealt with sternly.

Subsidies to industry

Unfounded anxiety is being expressed by representatives of industry, sensing its collapse due to the stoppage of all subsidies by the government. The government announces incentives only to get applause in general and to get ulterior benefits for the bureaucracy and politicians from the few beneficiaries of such incentives. No representative has ever asked for a study or survey of the entitled units which have ever filed their claim. Or if at all they did, who were they, what was the fate of their laborious exercise? Most of such successful persons will be found to be loved ones of “persons in the seat of power”. The entrepreneurs’ time is very precious and cannot be wasted on futile exercises. Thus, no filing of claims. Those who filed claims did not get the incentives due to obvious reasons. A few of the claimants who were lucky enough to get some, had to forego a major chunk in various ways.

Therefore, it will be a welcome step if the government openly comes out to withdraw subsidies. It will eliminate corruption and the abuse of authority, and save precious time, energy and hard-earned money of the entrepreneur. It is almost impossible to get one’s right from the government.

Would it not be better to offer concessions in the revenue that industry pays to the government? The best alternative can be a concession in income tax which is paid by the assessee as per his own convenience. The tax payer is an established dishonest person. Practically, the government gets only a fraction of fair tax. Therefore, allowing any such concession in lieu of the widely publicised hollow promises of subsidies and incentives will finally be in favour of the government itself because the taxes being paid to the government are minimal and the corresponding benefits will also be minimal automatically.

This way the government will get applause without any allegation from industry. The government will pay without paying anything. This will serve all the ulterior and exterior purposes of politicians and the so-called representatives of trade and industry.

SURESH MITTAL
Ludhiana

“Burgeoning bureaucracy” by Mr Joginder Singh (September 14) was a commendable commentary. One can well imagine the state of affairs where a full-fledged Secretary to the government is given the exclusive charge of cleanliness and the class IV staff of the Planning Commission? In the same breath, I would like to point out that a major cause of the failure of well-meant development plans is under staffing at the implementation level of field workers.

I wish the writer had given the break-up of the existing vacancies viz-a-viz the field staff and higher levels of secretarial bureaucrats, which the Fifth Pay Commission wanted to be abolished.

I vividly recall a Tribune news-item on Mr Joginder Singh’s own complaint of an insufficient investigation staff in the CBI hampering speedy disposal of pending cases, when he took over as its Director.

In the early sixties Himachal Pradesh had one Chief Secretary, five Secretaries, two IGs (Police & Prisons), three DIGs whereas today the number of Secretaries is more than the commonly known departments, and half a dozen DGs. The number of IGs and DIGs is many times more than the number of districts in the state while the number of patwaris or constables at police posts has remained almost static. The total revenue given in the state budget is far less than the total wage bill, without taking into account the liability towards the pension of retired employees.

Top-heavy ministries in many states eat up more than what they can spend on development schemes at the ground level.

“Governance is a serious business which affects the life of the common man” as the writer has pointed out. But any hint of abolition of howsoever frivolous posts invites the charge of being anti-employees”. Who will bell the cat then?

	M A I L B A G	Thursday, September 23, 1999
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