Avoiding wasteful work

There are many practices in India that should be eliminated. They waste people’s time and resources like paper.

One example is the filing of receipts with a revenue stamp for payment of salary or pension, even if the payment is through a bank. I do not know if this serves any significant purpose. Some municipal corporations do not ask for receipts from pensioners – they do not even send them an information slip saying what pension is being paid for which month or year. Intimations of payment with some detail can be sent even in the form of SMS. Failure to send salary slips or messages makes one suspect that such lack of transparency could facilitate fraud. We do not need an Administrative Reforms commission to set these things right. The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India can do a lot by insisting on efficient procedures and transparency in all government and government funded offices.

There are other wasteful practices like the railways giving 10% concession to doctors – allopathic - travelling for any purpose, or giving 75% off for artists traveling to give a performance. The list of persons eligible for such concessions has 53 categories. Recently, the Railways woke up to the fact that it is not the job of the Railways Ministry to pay for these handouts – the concerned ministries should pay. Even that appears insufficient. Railways should not waste the time of their staff handling these subsidy transactions and slow down their service to people waiting to buy tickets. Trivial subsidies ought to be eliminated. More important ones should be handled by concerned offices – not by Railways.

Many government departments tolerate the practice of government employees being used as domestic servants by superiors. This is often justified by designating subordinates as orderlies. This has to be stopped. Government salaries are high enough now for officers to pay for their own domestic help. Making subordinates work as domestic servants is corruption.  

Digital India, Smart Cities and Good Governance are all good ideas. The way towards these ideals is through the elimination of mindless practices!