Retd bureaucrats may lose some ‘safe posts’

In order to make the selection process of regulators more broad-based and independent, the Committee on...

In order to make the selection process of regulators more broad-based and independent, the Committee on Infrastructure headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week asked a Committee of Secretaries (CoS) to work out a proposal that would reduce the influence of the administrative ministry in the selection process and ensure that such bodies “do not become the parking places for retired bureaucrats”.

Confirming this, senior government officials told The Indian Express that the Planning Commission would soon circulate a paper on in this regard to consider and would include all regulators and not just the infrastructure sectors.

Officials said apart from putting the search committee directly under the Cabinet Secretary, the other issue that needs to be considered is that the position should offer attractive perks and remuneration. This would ensure more candidates, including people from the private sector and academics, to come forward for the job.

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At present, regulators spread across all sectors are dominated by retired bureaucrats. This is more true of the electricity sector where the law requires a regulator at the Central as well as at the state-level.

In fact, it was the Prime Minister, who in May while addressing the chief ministers’ power conference, had said “regulators should regulate — but not over-regulate.

At the Committee of Infrastructure meet last Thursday, it was pointed out — without naming the concerned secretary — that “some years ago, a crucial post was kept vacant for about ten months after which the incumbent secretary took up the assignment on retirement”. It was also said that there are instances “where the selection process was unduly delayed to coincide with the superannuation of the incumbent secretary”. It also came up that “incumbent secretary presides over award of several contracts and concessions on which he may have to pronounce as a regulator” that can “affect the credibility of independent regulation”.

In order to avoid such conflicts, it was pointed out that an “incumbent secretary shall not be eligible for selection as a regulator until two years of his superannuation” as “a seamless progression from secretary to regulator is detrimental to the credibility of the Government as well as the regulatory process”.

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It was also suggested that in the selection process, the secretary of the concerned administrative department would be a “convener” of the search committee, which should be headed by the Cabinet secretary with Secretary (personnel) along with IIM directors as members.

The CoS, sources said, would go into further details and make recommendations after taking feedback from other ministries as well.

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