During early years of independence the then Governments would lay stress on austerity. It was because the strict moral code under which Gandhi ji trained the leaders of freedom movement remained with the nation for many years after independence. The Ministers, Parliamentar-ians and the bureaucrats at that time observed austerity in real sense and it was a pleasure to watch our leadership responding to the needs of the nation. Times have change. We have made economic progress and the standard of living has gone up. The rich among us have become richer and they are now bogged with the obsession of living a luxurious life style.
We do not know how the State Government tumbled on the idea of austerity and has issued an advisory to all departments detailing what measures should be taken to encourage and enforce austerity among the Government functionaries. We have noted that the Government functionaries are in the habit of encouraging such activities which do not really contribute to the economic or intellectual growth of the State and its people yet those activities continue without assessing whether these can be avoided or not. For example, it has now become a fashion with departments to organize exhibitions, conferences, seminars, symposia, tours and various activities under very attractive nomenclature and obtain sanction for huge expenditures on these items. Even some departments have been proposing such activities to be carried out in collaboration with other agencies. A close and dispassionate assessment of the result of these activities shows that they serve little purpose except that VIPs and influential persons are able to enjoy the function as an entertainment for them and for their family members and friends, all at the expense of the tax payer. True, there was a time when the country’s democratic dispensation and economic rehabilitation were in the process and interaction was needed lest we were caught on the wrong foot. But seven decades later today, India is far ahead in almost all areas and our institutions are not only stabilized but have become fairly strong and self-dependent. Therefore, the State Government is right in viewing these activities in a new background. However, discouraging exhibitions, seminars, conferences and other activates does not mean that there is blanket ban on them. Discretion has to be taken into account by the final authority at the top of the bureaucratic pyramid whether a particular activity is really productive.
The Government’s advisory is that the officers should avoid travelling by Business Class and save the money of the Government. The circular has gone to all the departments and the Government believes there will be good response. Holding of meetings and conferences in private hotels has been banned and Government accommodation will be used for these purposes. This will save lot of money which is to be paid to the private accommodation. We appreciate the austerity move but we need to caution the Government that it should not remain only a slogan for propaganda. The instructions have to be implemented in letter and spirit. We think that each department should be asked to submit quarterly report to the GAD as to what progress has been made in serving austerity move in accordance with the instructions of the Government.
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