Shourie's plan to 'rightsize' Govt put on hold

Shourie's plan to 'rightsize' Govt put on hold
RISHI RAJ

NEW DELHI, FEB 23: An ambitious voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) plan to ``rightsize'' the Government, prepared by the Minister of State for Planning, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Arun Shourie, was scuttled by the politicians at the meeting of the Union Cabinet on Tuesday. As a result, despite changing the definition from `downsize' to `rightsize', the whole plan has been kept in abeyance and will not find mention in the forthcoming Budget speech of Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha.

The VRS plan for rightsizing the Government, mooted by Shourie, proposed that those who opt for it, their span of service rendered or pending, whichever is less should be taken into account and for that period, the Government should pay one-and-half time of the salary drawn. This means that if an employee has served in a Government service for 20 years and has 10 years left for superannuation, he be given VRS, if he opts for it and be paid one-and-half time the salary drawn by him at that stage for the period of next 10 years.

Most members of the Cabinet did not agree with Shourie's views stated as being very ambitious on which an instant decision could not be taken. The proposal has been kept in abeyance till May.

Similarly, no decision could be taken on the proposal to merge certain departments because the Committee of Secretaries looking into it have not yet been able to give a consensus view. The proposal was to merge certain departments, like the Department of Sugar and Edible Oil and Department of Consumer Affairs could be merged with the Department of Food and Civil Supplies.

Similarly, Department of Statistics and Department of Programme Implementation could be merged. However, the CoS, comprising the Cabinet Secretary, Finance Secretary and Expenditure Secretary as well as a member from the Planning Commission, have not been able to take a consensus view on such matters. This issue has also been kept in abeyance till May.

Other proposals on manpower reduction, on which the Cabinet could not take decision on Tuesday, was that no new autonomous bodies be created. The proposal was to review the role of all the present autonomous bodies and those found to have outlived their utility should be wound up. The surplus employees such bodies should be kept in a `surplus cell' for a year, in which time the Government will explore if they could be accommodated elsewhere or not. If accommodating them is not found suitable, they should be retired with due benefits.

The proposal was also to effect 10 per cent cut in all recruitment done by the Central Government.

The Cabinet postponed decision on all these proposals, with a section holding the view that more time is required for discussing such politically sensitive issues. Further, many were not happy that the proposals were drafted solely by Shourie without participation from others. Result: much of the thunder of Yashwant Sinha's Budget has been stolen.