Public service

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a very significant remark about public service on Friday. According to him, public service is a privilege that can be best rendered by adhering to the highest standards of delivery and probity. He made this remark at the Lok Kalyan Divas function observed on the 73rd death anniversary of Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi, during which he also gave away awards to a number of deserving public servants. The Chief Minister also appreciated the fact that the various changes that have taken place in the state in recent years have in them a significant degree of dedication from the bureaucrats and employees in the government. The Assam Chief Minister has very rightfully mentioned how, sometime back, a section of government officials virtually converted public service into a business—a roaring business indeed—making the public suffer the worst. It is a fact that this government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against corruption, which has led to the arrest of a large number of public servants, including the Chairman of the APSC, which is mandated to recruit quality people as public servants. But, though the Chief Minister has said that time has changed now, the fact remains that a section of public servants are yet to give up their habit of indulging in corruption. This is evident from the fact that officers continue to be caught red-handed and heaps of currency notes continue to be recovered from their possession. The Chief Minister has also claimed that the government has been able to change the administration and make red tape a thing of the past, particularly with the digitalization of public services. The fact, however, remains that it is a tough job to wipe out corruption from the bureaucracy because a section of it knows how to find or create loopholes in the system in order to make the best use of them for personal gratification. What the state also requires is a vigilant civil society and a citizenry that can stand up against corrupt public servants and red tape and make such experiences public. It will also be interesting to see how the proposed Right to Public Service Commission will further the cause of a corruption-free bureaucracy and delivery system and how the citizenry will take advantage of the new Commission and lodge complaints against officials who fail to deliver services on time.