Every Government department is vital : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

Every Government department is vital

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

The Hans India (05-07-2018)

Few IAS officers in Telangana recently complained to the Chief Secretary that they are posted in “unimportant and insignificant” departments whereas others though not senior to them are given significant and pivotal posts. In the process, they pleaded justice to them. This sort of a complaint probably may not be justified!

Transfers of IAS officers are made for administrative reasons and better convenience of governance. If those who could not get postings of their choice express dissatisfaction openly or clandestinely, then is it possible to run the government? Pointing out their seniority and better competency, they also, unfortunately, complain that the government is biased against them. In reality, all of them ought to discharge their responsibilities without prejudice and bias, irrespective of which department they are working in and irrespective of whether it is important or insignificant. Instead of this resorting to trivial protest is unsustainable.

In 1995 September when I was posted on deputation to the DR MCR HRD Institute located in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, I had to face lot of difficulty to reach there, the reason being, its insignificant status and as a result its address not known to many. Those were the days when every government officer thought that to go there it was a punishment posting. Everyone felt then it was an unimportant place to work. While I was working there, Late PVRK Prasad, an IAS officer who had the reputation of working with former Prime Minister Late PV Narasimha Rao as media advisor, was posted as its Director General.  Mrs Urmila Subbarao another IAS officer was posted as Additional Director general by the then Chandrababu Naidu TDP government. In a way, as many thought, it was a punishment posting for both of them. But later it was proved otherwise.

When asked why they preferred these postings, the reply from both Prasad and Urmila was, “for relaxing”. But what had happened later was history. There was an incredible transformation of the institute slowly and steadily. An institute which was unfamiliar to many in 1995, was converted into a globally renowned one, and was placed in the world map of training as a great centre of excellence. The institute remains same even till this day. The reason was simple. An institute which was thought insignificant where posting was a punishment, was transformed into a most significant department and a priced place of posting for any officer, due to sheer hard work and indefinable commitment of Prasad and Urmila, and in the process, it has grown phase by phase. Today, anyone posted there feel proud of themselves. As far as I am concerned, I had the opportunity to tour the entire country more than once and also visit United Kingdom thanks to this institute.

Late Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi before taking Late PV Narasimha Rao into her cabinet when asked him to select his portfolio, to her surprise, he had preferred Human Resources to Defence or External Affairs as thought by her. When Mrs Gandhi questioned him why he chose relatively an insignificant department, his answer was, that, in government no department is insignificant! PV transformed Human Resources into sky-high and “Challenges of Education” document was one of the consequences of his efforts. So also, when Mrs Gandhi was asked to choose her portfolio at the time of joining Lal Bahadur Shastri Cabinet, she selected to every body’s surprise, Information and Broadcasting department, which was those days a relatively insignificant one. Everyone knows that later history proved that it is an important portfolio. Late Dr Marri Channa Reddy when being inducted into the union cabinet was given steel and mines portfolio considered to be insignificant then, but, he brought name and fame to that beyond anybody’s expectations. 

When I was working with Dr M Channa Reddy as his PRO, during his second stint as CM of AP, Dr Reddy responding to a complaint of corrupt practices on municipal administration, in addition to seeking resignation of Late Koneru Ranga Rao, the then Minister, posted the secretary an IAS officer C Arjun Rao to disaster management department, thought to be relatively insignificant always. Within few months after that the state was hit by a ghastly cyclone on May 13, 1990 threatening the life and properties badly. C Arjun Rao with all his commitment and devoted work took preventive measures saving the lives of thousands of people. Later, the relief and rehabilitation measures he had taken up were unprecedented and remain as role model till today. He thus exhibited the significance and importance of disaster management department which hitherto was thought to be insignificant. The Chief Minister Dr Reddy who transferred Arjun Rao to disaster management had all the praise and it was during that time the famous “Cyclone Reconstruction Project” was envisaged. The all-time great English magazine Readers Digest published a special story on Arjun Rao later. 

During Chandrababu Naidu tenure, as part of his Vision-2020 document Agriculture was relegated to an unimportant place. Once the post of Agriculture Production Commissioner thought to be insignificant. But now, greater importance is given to Agriculture with schemes like Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bhima.

All this leads to the conclusion that there is no insignificant department in government and all are important. It’s only the people who head them matter and depending their commitment and capacity either they become important or unimportant and that too temporarily. It is the responsibility of the IAS officer who heads the department to prove or disprove this.

Those who are selected for IAS beginning with the post of Sub-Collector raise to the level of Chief Secretary or Cabinet Secretary depending upon their efficiency, initiative and obviously opportunity. It might be true that in the erstwhile governments “influence” could have played its own role in postings but certainly not after the formation of Telangana. May be few officers who fall in that category and unable to “influence” now are preferring complaint.    

At the highest level of IAS if anyone categorises that a particular post is significant and the other is not, it is nothing but, the mindset of those officers. Any efficient and to that matter effective officer, whatever posting he or she is given, irrespective of its importance or not, will rise to the occasion and do their best to convert it as the best one.

Hence, it is not correct on the part of these few IAS officers to complain to Chief Secretary that they have been discriminated against. It is only the attitude and thinking of these IAS officers that make them feel that their postings are insignificant. If we have a look at the postings that they have been given it is crystal clear that none of them is insignificant or unimportant. One of them having worked as Collector, Commissioner Excise, Vice-Chairman Housing Board, Principal and Special Chief Secretary Revenue is now posted as Secretary SC/ST Commission. At a time when Government is going all out to extend maximum welfare benefits to SC/ST, there cannot be a better posting than this for any officer. Similarly the post of Joint Secretary Municipal Administration or Joint Secretary Home or Joint Secretary Public Enterprises or to that matter even DG Archives is not insignificant. For a fair thinker every government department is equally significant!