Reforming Governance

Target corruption in bureaucracy by linking salaries with performance. Empower the panchayats.Readers' Views

Based on readers' suggestions and talks with sociologists and politicians, HindustanTimes.com explores how to reform Bihar's governance.

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What the politicians say
Change the ruling party.

What sociologists say
An "incentive system" discourages politicians from thinking developmentally. This system has to be changed, but it will take time. Given the opportunity, politics can, and does, transcend caste.

What the common man says
Change the government. In fact do away with the democratic process. Impose Army or President's rule. Educate people, and bar criminals from entering politics at any level.

Readers' Views »

Every "way out" discussed until now will fail to deliver if Bihar does not reform its governance itself. Be it the political process, the bureaucratic machinery or the judicial set-up, governance has to become more sincere and more people-oriented from all angles if Bihar has to move towards a new future.

Rural governance is in the throes of change. A UK-funded study found in 1999-2000 that the absence of elected panchayats was a major hindrance in implementing development programmes in Bihar's villages vis-à-vis those in West Bengal. This handicap has now been cured, with Bihar electing its first panchayat in 23 years in May 2001.

Empowering the panchayats
But panchayats need more power. Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told HindustanTimes.com, "We have to promote gram sabhas actively to make panchayati raj matter. Gram sabhas should meet every two-three months. They should decide the kind of development activities their area should have, and monitor their implementation. They should ensure that money allocated for development is not siphoned off."

Local bureaucracy should be made accountable to gram sabhas, and in some cases removed altogether. Panchayats should also have financial autonomy. The Centre can perhaps send rural development funding directly to the panchayats, instead of routing it through bureaucratic intermediaries like the district rural development agencies.

The UK study also suggested measures to reform local government in Bihar, including:

retraining government staff to deal with people as "clients" rather than as "subjects"

redeploying staff from departments where there is little activity to those facing a work overload

recognising exceptional work done by public servants, helping them feel a greater sense of "ownership" of development schemes

linking salaries of public servants directly with performance

giving gram sabhas the power to write confidential reports of lower-level government staff working in their area

blacklisting corrupt officials