Former UP chief secretary advocates reward and punishment for civil servants

Most civil servants will strive to give off their best if a system of reward and punishment is developed, says former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Alok Ranjan

Former Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief secretary Alok Ranjan on Sunday advocated a system of reward and punishment for civil servants.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Alok Ranjan at an event marking the launch of his book in Lucknow . (HT Photo)

He was speaking at the launch of his book, Making a Difference The IAS as a Career, at Jaipuria Institute of Management in Lucknow.

“There should be a system of reward and punishment for civil servants to promote excellence and deter corruption,” the former UP chief secretary said.

“Currently, there is no system to reward or punish civil servants which affects output. If such a system (of reward and punishment) is developed, where officers are rewarded for their excellence, then most civil servants will strive to give their best,” Alok Ranjan said while answering a question about the working of civil servants.

The former UP chief secretary also raises the issue in his book while discussing how decision-making is delayed in the name of following procedures.

“I found that officers avoid decision making or take shelter of procedures, queries and asking for more information in an effort to protect themselves. There is a tendency now to keep looking over the shoulder to see how CAG, CBI or CVC will view a decision,” writes Alok Ranjan in the chapter titled The Chief Secretary: Leader of the State Bureaucracy.

He went on to suggest, “Corruption is not only to be condemned but acted upon strongly. However, systems need to be evolved which will protect an honest officer who takes decision in public interest.”

Alok Ranjan, who served as the chief secretary in the previous Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh, shared his first-hand experience as a civil servant in the book meant for IAS aspirants and those interested in the know-how of bureaucracy. Former bureaucrats Naveen Chandra Bajpai, Atul Gupta, along with Surabhi Modi Sahai and Arvind Mohan, also participated in a discussion moderated by Jayant Krishna, during the launch event that was attended by several retired and serving bureaucrats and other dignitaries.

Writing about his years as the chief secretary, Ranjan points out how planning, monitoring and political will can make huge projects come to reality.

Sharing details about some of the most ambitious projects during the previous government, the former UP chief secretary writes, “The developers (of Lucknow-Agra Expressway) were talking of a minimum period of thirty-six months to complete this project. It was made clear that no more than twenty-four months would be allowed and this was further reduced to twenty-two months by the chief minister (Akhilesh Yadav) at the time of the launching.”

In his book, he also suggests, “Media responses enable you to look at yourself in the mirror. If you take it positively, then both your image and that of the government shall improve. The media reactions represent the voice of the people which must be heard.”