Typo trouble for Govt

On June 25,this GO was issued sanctioning Rs 13,350 for purchase of Bisleri bottles. The GO was issued by the Deputy Secretary to Government 8220;By order and in the name of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.8221;

Though it is not mandatory,GOs can be issued in Telugu,the State8217;s official language that conveys matter easily to common man. But no department does this and almost every GO is issued only in English,often mutilating the alien language.

Whenever an IAS or an IPS officer goes on leave,a GO is issued. The GO,in its standard format,mentions the leave period of the officer and the balance of leaves in hisher credit.

Now consider this butchery of the language. It contains a horrendous entry that says: 8220;It is hereby certified that the member of service would have continued in a particular scale of pay but for his going on leave.8221; The GO should actually read as 8220;The member of service would continue in a particular scale of pay despite going on leave.8221;

In most cases,such GOs are issued by the Principal Secretary Political in the General Administration Department. Hundreds of such GOs were issued over the past few years but so far none seemed to have realised the grammatical blunder in them. And the GOs continue to be issued almost every day.

All this is done 8220;By order and in the name of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh!8221;

8220;Any government order has some sanctity. Such GOs only make us a laughing stock and expose the lackadaisical manner of the administration8217;s functioning,8221; a senior bureaucrat pointed out.8221;Such a GO could land any IAS or IPS officer in trouble if someone,even for fun,challenges the service record. Luckily,nobody pulled such a prank so far,8221; the bureaucrat said.

Recently,a GO was issued sanctioning Rs 1,608 towards payment of cell phone charges for D K Aruna,Minister for SSI,Sugar,KVIB,Printing and 8216;Stationary. This happened not just once as every month a similar GO is issued for reimbursement of cell phones charges of Aruna,who is always referred to as 8220;Minister for Stationary8221; among other portfolios.

Interestingly,when he was state Home Minister between 2004 and 2009,K Jana Reddy also used to be mentioned in the GOs as 8220;Minister for Stationary8221; apart from other portfolios he held.

And,an IPS officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police is posted as 8220;Commissioner of Printing and Stationary,8221; going by the GOs!

It8217;s not just the junior-level officers who issue such orders without looking into the errors but senior officers of the rank of Principal Secretary to Government too commit the same mistake.

The ludicrous GOs indicate that different departments of the State government purchase lakhs of rupees worth 8220;stationary8221; and 8220;non-stationary8221; items periodically for official use. Of course,the 8220;stationary8221; and 8220;non-stationary8221; items are generally not specified in the orders. About 190 such GOs are currently available online.

Interestingly,there are another 1,838 GOs online that reveal purchase of 8220;stationery8221; and 8220;non-stationery8221; items by various departments. In one such instance,a Principal Secretary of the Transport Department purchased three pen sets worth Rs 19,200. In another case,the Irrigation Department purchased two pen sets worth Rs 38,250 for 8220;use of officersoffice.8221;

The buzz in the corridors of power is that 8220;stationary8221; is like the 8220;number two8221; account maintained by some businessmen to evade tax.

8220;In our case,it is to escape public scrutiny of our expenditure on items like pens,towels,soaps and such innocuous things that some people deliberately use the word 8216;stationary.8217; This way they cannot be caught when people search online for GOs related to stationery purchases,8221; one officer pointed out.

All this only expose the sorry state of affairs in the State administration.