Time for some govt process reengineering

In pursuit of this goal, they review functioning periodically and introduce what is known as BPR or business process reengineering. Companies like Oracle provide BPR software.

Whenever I read about BPR success stories, I wonder when we will have governmental process reengineering, or GPR, in India?

Want to know how efficiently the Government of India works? If you are a Delhiite, or a visitor to Delhi, take a walk along the majestic avenue from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan and cast a glance at the lush-green lawns of the Boat Club on both sides.

Even those who have never been to Delhi are familiar with this place, since they have seen live telecast of the annual the Republic Parade that moves down this road, appropriately called Rajpath.

But if you are visiting this place in November, you will be shocked by what you see on the Boat Club lawns. The Central Public Works Department CPWD, which has a monopoly over all construction and maintenance work in the GoI buildings and mostly does a shoddy job, is busy erecting stands and other temporary structures for the Republic Day Parade. Most of the Boat Club lawn space has been barricaded and made out-of-bounds for locals and tourists, for whom it is a favourite recreational spot. You will wonder why CPWD has started the work so early?

The parade takes place on January 26. But every year I unfailingly notice that CPWD begins erection of the stands in early November 8211; nearly three months before the actual event. It takes another 45-60 days to fully dismantle the stands and make the place accessible to the public. Since this is an annual exercise, whose operations can be easily standardised, it need take at the most a fortnight. Yet, CPWD happily keeps its employees and contractors busy for nearly 120 days.

In other words, the grandeur of the Republic Day Parade hides our government8217;s monumental inefficiency.

CPWD8217;s lethargy is symptomatic of a wider malaise in much of governmental functioning in India, both at central and state levels. Exceptions apart 8212; and, reassuringly, there are many of them 8212; most institutions of our Republic work without any accountability norms. Time overruns and cost overruns are endemic to most government-implemented projects. Last week this newspaper carried a series of startling reports on how the Defense Research and Development Organisation has consumed thousands of crores on fruitless R038;D projects, and disparagingly called DRDO the 8216;Delayed Research, Derailed Organisation8217;. Similarly, our courts are clogged with countless long-pending cases. Shockingly, government itself is not only the biggest litigant in India but also the greatest contributor to delays through adjournments and appeals. Most government departments are overstaffed, where more people doing less work is the well-established norm.

There is no audit 8211; internal or social 8211; of their output. Go to a typical dusty, cobwebs-in-the-ceiling, paan-marks-on-the-wall, files-stacked-everywhere government office, where an ordinary citizen is rarely received in a welcoming and sympathetic way, and you will wonder how far India still has to travel to realize two famous prime ministerial promises: 8216;A government that works8217; Indira Gandhi8217;s slogan for the 1980 parliamentary elections and 8216;A government that works faster8217; Rajiv Gandhi8217;s slogan for the 1984 elections.

So, what should be done? I have two thoughts. Firstly, those in leadership positions, in politics and bureaucracy, should learn from best practices in successful business organizations. Secondly, citizens themselves should raise their voices whenever and wherever they see laziness, incompetence and callousness in governmental functioning. For, certainly, our Republic deserves much better governance than the way CPWD prepares the Boat Club lawns for the Republic Day Parade.

Write to: sudheen.kulkarniexpressindia.com