Bureaucracy in Punjab, northeast highly corrupt: Ex-Planning Commission secy

Former Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) secretary Naresh Chandar Saxena on Friday said bureaucracy in Punjab and northeastern states is seen as highly corrupt.

Saxena, who has authored book ‘What Ails the IAS and Why it Fails to Deliver’ and was in Chandigarh to deliver a lecture at the Institute for Development and Communication (IDC), said even during the Khalistan movement few officials from Punjab were ready to go on deputations to work with the central government.

He spoke on the topic of ‘Challenges of governance: the way out’.

Saxena, who also served as member of the National Advisory Council in the UPA regime at the Centre, said there was no study or data available in the country to ascertain the level of corruption in the bureaucracy in the states.

“What I am stating is based upon my feedback throughout my career and eight-year stint as director of the Lal Bhadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie,” he said while interacting with mediapersons on the sidelines of the event.

The level of corruption in the bureaucracy depends upon the working style of the chief minister and the other political bosses, he said.

“If bosses are corrupt, officials will also think of making money. In the northeast, the reason behind high level of corruption is that these states get 100% central funding,” he said.

Former Manipur governor and ex-Jammu and Kashmir director general of police (DGP) Gurbachan Jagat said an increasing stranglehold of politicians on bureaucracy is the biggest threat to administrative delivery.