Lack of cohesion among various departments of the Government, when some decisions of vital importance are to be taken, is the bane of good administration. When departmental heads aspire to assign all powers of decision making to them, the result is chaos and confusion. In a system that is integrated and inter-dependent, the practice of taking arbitrary decisions causes embarrassment to the Government and inconvenience to the people. In a sound administration, this is always avoided and vital decisions are taken collectively in a bid to cause least inconvenience to the public.
The Director General Accounts and Treasuries, Finance Department, issued a circular on 17-04-2014 asking the individual depositing of Government dues and receipts in the State treasuries, particularly under Major Heads ; 0029, 0210 and 0230 at the departmental level and thereafter deposit the consolidated amount in the concerned treasury with detailed classification with effect from April 1, 2014 onwards. The reason for this vital change in the procedure, it appears, was that individual depositing was found not very appropriate and as such all loopholes had to be plugged. This might have been done with good intentions and we do not question that. But this is a big procedural change and in such cases where the general public and administrative structure had got used to a practice for a long time, sudden and quick shift creates some psychological barriers. Apart from that, there are physical and practical difficulties that should have been foreseen and remedied before the action of implementing the new system was announced. It is in this part that the decision has faltered.
The problem with the departments is that they need manpower and expertise especially the services of accounts knowing people who would handle the incomes and receipts at departmental level and then deposit the same in the treasury. This certainly would lessen the burden on Treasuries and their efficiency might also increase. But the problem is not solved by passing on the buck. It was important for the Finance Department to ensure whether individual departments had the requisite paraphernalia to render the services they were required to render under new order of things? Obviously they do not have as is now revealed. The departments are not in a position to manage receipts and income and then pass it on to the Treasury. The net result is that it is the ordinary people who are put to great inconvenience. They are made to run from pillar to post and still far away from a clear picture what needs to be done.
This is a matter of finances. It is a technical job and the procedure of income/expenditure is a serious job not to be entrusted to novices. We need trained personnel to conduct financial affairs of the State. The order issued by the Director Treasuries has created a total chaos as Government treasuries have stopped accepting individual receipts. Would it not have been more feasible and practical to issue the order without giving it immediate effect but giving the individual depositors the choice of depositing individually or through respective departments where arrangements for such deposits would be gradually made? In that case both things would move simultaneously for some time and then gradually the system would be changed in full. This would avoid causing inconvenience to the general public. The Government has to take a step to resolve this deadlock. It would have been very proper not to create confusion and now struggle to find a solution. What has the Director Treasuries to say when confronted with the argument that departments do not have required staff like a cashier and proper chest to accept the cash receipts on daily basis and keeping the entire record besides conducting verification of the same with concerned treasuries on monthly basis? This is what should have been thoroughly discussed and looked into before the orders for the changed system were issued. The way out, we may emphasize again, is that the heads of departments will have to get into consultation and come to a reasonable conclusion of how the issue can be tackled. It is a technical matter and public opinion cannot be of much avail.
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