All about developmental activities including knowing about the levels of implementation of various Central sponsored schemes in respect of Government departments on periodic basis must not only be duly undertaken but made fairly known as well. In fact, in respect of recording developmental activities on monthly basis, a progress/achievement report is administratively made compulsory for all Government Departments of the UT to be submitted to the Planning Development and Monitoring Department for compilation at their end so as to be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor’s secretariat for making a detailed analysis. Needless to add, there are standing instructions for doing so from the General Administration Department to all the departments followed by reminders too being sent to the departments on many an occasion lest delays in submission took place.
It is, however, unfortunate that the intent and the purpose behind knowing about what was in fact done for the entire month by a particular department is not realised by a few ”defaulting” departments which have chosen not to send any information for the month of April thus defeating the very purpose of such submission. It may be appreciated that the factors contributing to a healthy planning and projections by the concerned department are related to the availability of the requisite data and the entire consolidation work gets dislocated in case from any end or a department /office etc, such information was not made available within the stipulated timeframe.
The issue has the other factor also and that is related to the fact that every department /office /PSU etc must remain active and not in inertial mode. That it is observed that there were several ”key” departments which had not submitted the “progress report” in respect of the month of April 2022 to the concerned department while submission of the report in respect of the month of May has already fallen due, does not auger well . Isit that there was nothing to report new for the month of April or whatever was done in respect of developmental activities, that was not properly recorded or that submitting such information was thought to be optional just because in respect of previous reports, perhaps, no queries nor any information was sought by the controlling department.
What we mean is that there should be a link between irrespective of the quality of what progress report was received in respect of a particular department and the controlling department so that it percolates down to each employee in the department that one had to work sincerely and hard even and also that such progress reported was properly scrutinised and not used merely for compiling data for onward submission to higher authorities/ to the Lt. Governor’s Secretariat as a mere formality. Seven of such departments which have defaulted in submission of this information for the month of April, however, as per reports, are in default by one month only indicating that they were otherwise regular in submission of such information.
If it is so, a responsive, alert and ”all business meaning” administration must get duly reflected, even if at certain occasions only, by adopting measures that were not conventional but slightly reformative in that why should not two or three personnel from the Planning Department and/or the General Administration Department visit in person such defaulting departments not only to know the reasons of non-submission but collecting the information on the spot . That will send necessary signals and message about the importance of sharing such information on monthly basis in time and without fail. Times have changed so should the administrative techniques and ways also undergo changes and the soleaim should be to somehow get the things done.
The other aspect of the issue is the concept of fixing targets, monitoring achievements, knowing causes of non-fulfilment of targets, making comparative analysis to reckon growth pattern on consistent basis or the obverse thereof and seeking clarifications and fixing accountability. No development and no growth means just a liability and a redundancy implying revenue expenditure incurred on idle assets. Therefore, are targets, of course on realistic basis, fixed in respect of the Government Departments, if not what is the criteria and the yardstick to measure such a monthly progress report? Besides, not only verifying by the Administrative Secretaries /Heads of the Department about the correctness of the progress reports before the same reaches the desks of the Planning Development and Monitoring Department becomes important but what action is taken post submission of such reports has its own implications and impact. Make submission of such reports realistic in their larger objectives rather than merely for compiling of data so that overall performance improves.
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