Inside the Secretariat: Fitness Push, Corruption Concerns, Officer Shortages, Infra Woes

No Lift, Use the Stairs, Stay Fit

In his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme, the PM urged people to fight obesity and reduce the use of edible oils in food. The state government appears to be following his words in right earnest. In the Secretariat and the Legislative Assembly, where stairs are located near lifts, slogans have been posted on every step to encourage everyone to climb stairs instead of using the lift.

In some places, it’s written that if you climb one floor without using the lift, you will burn a certain number of calories. If you climb two floors, you will burn more. Recently, when an officer was seen climbing the stairs in Block-1 of the Secretariat, a corporate representative asked him why he was not using the lift.

The officer replied, "No lift, use the stairs and stay fit. Even in the fast-paced corporate world, it’s important to do this between work pressures." After observing for the past 15 days, it has been found that officers are using the stairs, but lifts are reserved for ministers and lawmakers.

'Was Better Off As Collector Than Secretary'

A Gujarat IAS officer was seen lifting bags of vegetables at a market. A fellow officer who knew him, jokingly asked why he was doing the work himself, as his office staff should be doing it. The officer responded, “The government has made changes in public service, and I no longer have the staff to carry out my personal work. How can I expect assistance like I did as a district head?”

The reality is that when an officer moves from a district to the Secretariat, they often feel a reduction in power. Once an officer has tasted the fruits of prime postings, side postings can seem less rewarding. In some positions, officers do not receive private staff. It is also true that government employees are increasingly refusing to do personal work for their superiors. However, this still happens in the IPS cadre, where doing such work can sometimes be seen as beneficial.

Corruption In Urban Development

Despite receiving numerous corruption complaints about government departments and public enterprises, the Gujarat Vigilance Commissioner (GVC) office has shown negligence in taking action against accused officers. In the last three years, the GVC received over 35,000 complaints regarding corruption, out of which action was recommended against 3,737 officers.

However, the government only took disciplinary action in 950 cases. Meanwhile, the Urban Development Department remains at the top of the list with 19 per cent of the complaints, followed by Revenue (17 per cent), Panchayat (13 per cent), Home (11 per cent), and Education (5 per cent).

A report by Vigilance Commissioner and retired IAS officer Sangita Singh clearly notes that some departments are negligent in responding to corruption-related complaints, resulting in pending investigation cases. In the last three years, 6,600 complaints were closed due to lack of evidence, while 3,600 were sent for primary investigation, and 22,000 were forwarded for appropriate action.

UK-US Laws Should Be Analysed To Prevent Corruption

Regarding the spread of corruption in government, Gujarat’s Lokayukta, Justice Rajesh Shukla, in his latest report, emphasised the importance of administrative systems and transparency.

He mentioned that corruption is a harmful consequence of weak governance, as it reduces investment, obstructs economic growth, increases poverty, and destabilises financial systems.

The Lokayukta recommended that India, despite having laws like FEMA and PMLA, needs to further examine international corruption prevention laws, including the UK's Anti-Bribery Act and the US's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), for stronger frameworks to combat corruption.

Nepotism, Favouritism In Govt Jobs Continue

The state government claims to use foolproof methods to maintain transparency in government recruitment. However, recent recruitments in several departments still show signs of nepotism and favouritism.

One such department is the Forest and Environment Department, where recruitment for positions like Forest Guard and Assistant Forest Guard have been carried out in violation of rules, but no action has been taken.

Internal sources from the Secretariat stated that after the Chief Minister was informed about such illegal recruitments, the Vigilance Commissioner was recommended to investigate these cases. However, the department failed to submit reports in a timely manner, resulting in losses to the government’s treasury.

In one such case, six employees could have had their appointments canceled, but the responsible officers kept the government in the dark for nine years. Eventually, after the employees retired, the investigation report was submitted, and the matter was closed.

Officer Shortage Impacts Administration

The shortage of officers in Gujarat's district administrative system has caused poor performance in Panchayati Raj institutions. The state government creates recruitment schedules to fill these vacancies, but they are not implemented on time.

As a result, several districts are facing additional responsibilities being given to other officers. Recently, Opposition MLAs raised the issue in the Assembly about the shortage of Taluka Development Officers in 43 important talukas of the state.

The government has assured that these eight vacancies will be filled quickly and 41 others will be filled through direct recruitment by sending requests to the Gujarat Public Service Commission. According to the government’s statistics, of the 248 Taluka Development Officer positions in the state, 205 are currently filled.

The Secretariat's Blocks Are Dilapidated

Amid the ongoing demolishion of old government bungalows and officers' residences to build new ones in Gandhinagar, the Secretariat buildings are also showing signs of deterioration.

Some blocks are undergoing repairs, but others have not yet been inspected by the Public Works Department. The officers and employees in Block 12 of the Narmada Corporation's office are working fearfully, as the building's parapet has a large crack.

The Secretariat, with its 14 blocks built in 1985, houses 26 government departments and other auxiliary offices. While Cabinet ministers have renovated their official bungalows, these deteriorating blocks are being neglected, and the government's engineers seem to be waiting for a major mishap. Ministers are spending money to ensure their safety. Shouldn't the safety of officers and employees working in government offices be equally important?

Speculation Over IAS Officer's Transfer

A female IAS officer, who is currently serving in an important department of the state government, is at the centre of speculation regarding her transfer. There were rumours circulating that she was unhappy with her current posting, and that her superior officers were not on good terms with her, leading to poor department performance.

Messages even circulated on social media that she had been transferred with a single order. Upon investigation, it was found that no such transfer had taken place. The government is now investigating who spread these rumors.

There is talk within the Secretariat that her name might appear in the next round of transfers. With the budget session over, the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary are expected to be busy with administrative changes in the coming weeks, and this time, the list of transfers may include both IAS and IPS officers.

IAS Officers More Alert After Speaker's Reprimand

Although the state budget session has concluded, an interesting incident occurred where the Speaker had to reprimand senior IAS officers. During the session, when the Minister of the concerned department was giving a response, it was necessary for senior officers to be present to provide appropriate answers.

However, it is a rule in the Assembly that everyone present in the chamber must sit with discipline and respect. Often, during the session, some officers were seen taking short naps or relaxing with their legs up in the officers' gallery.

After being reprimanded by the Speaker, this behaviour stopped, and during the rest of the session, the officers maintained discipline and respect while seated in their chairs.

(with inputs from Gautam Purohit and Sanjay Vibhakar)