WIC's report (Dec 22,2014)on  Sushma Swaraj's surprise at noticing large number of  Addl /Joint secretaries in MEA,is revealing.Nothing unusual.The monopoly is enjoyed by  cadre controlling authorities of other central and All India  services. Their sole objective  is to increase the number of posts at higher echelons by making proportionate reductions at lower echelons to meet the euphemistic financial requirement of  achieving " matching savings". Worse, with provision of " chopping off the dead ood",lying unused since independence and race for one-up-manship among organised Services for accelerated career progressions,the bureaucracy has became top heavy, lethargic,under-utilised and pliant, inspired by "Mai- baap culture".The villain is MOF- its Cadre-review division and the financial advisors having "open mindsets", falling in line under ministerial pressures.Prominent Services that have unduly benefitted from cadre reviews include : IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS (Custom, IT),Railway services ,Postal,Economic , Statistical services etc. Creation of additional posts with high sounding designations,instead of improving the service delivery mechanism, has merely demoralized the subordinate services.

Delhi University's ( Chemistry deptt)'s  negligence in 2010 involving sale of Gamma irradiator  containing radioactive Cobalt-60 to  run-of-the-mill junk dealers on highest bidder basis,  prompted the Congress- led UPA  to frame guidelines in 2011. But, ironically, no system was put in place to ensure that guidelines are  followed in letter and spirit . The  punitive steps to be taken against defaulters, were also not thought of. Public safety,as a shared responsibility,was ignored.

To know  ground realities, Modi sarkar should  re-visit UPA's  e -waste management policy to promote public safety by overcoming  the following deficiencies  :--

(a)  Govt deptts / autonomous bodies/ electronic industries  and the common Indian households are still   approaching the  illiterate ,untrained and callous  junk dealers   for disposal of hazardous e - wastes (ICs/computer hardware /mobile phones , icro-ovens etc. The scrap contains carcinogenic and radioactive  components/ chemicals;

(b) Due to absence of  status check mechanism , no one knows,in how many cases, penalties  have been  imposed for non-compliance of safety guidelines?

(c) There is no method  to know  whether electronic industries,both in private and public sectors, have any e-waste management plan for conducting target and accountability checks?

(d ) Has the DOE  conducted  impact assessment studies and safety audits of its policy ? If so,with what results ?

Delhi Universaties ( Chemistry deptt)'s  negligence in 2010 involving sale

of Gamma irradiator  containing radioactive Cobalt-60 to  run-of-the-mill

junk dealers on highest bidder basis,  prompted the Congress- led UPA  to

frame guidelines in 2011. But, ironically, no system was put in place to

ensure that guidelines are  followed in letter and spirit . The  punitive

steps to be taken against defaulters, were also not thought of. Public

safety,as a shared responsibility,was ignored.

To know  ground realities, Modi sarkar should  re-visit  the  UPA's  e

-waste management policy to promote public safety by overcoming  the

following  deficiencies  :-- (a)  Govt deptts / autonomous bodies/

electronic industries  and the   common Indian households are still

approaching the  illiterate ,untrained and callous  junk dealers   for

disposal of hazardous e - wastes ( (ICs/computer hardware /mobile phones ,

micro-ovens etc. The scrap contains carcinogenic and radioactive

components/ chemicals; (b) Due to absence of  status check mechanism , no

one knows,in how many cases, penalties  have been  imposed for

non-compliance of safety guidelines? (c) There is no method  to know

whether electronic industries,both in private and public sectors, have any

e-waste management plan for conducting target and accountability checks? (d

) Has the DOE  conducted  impact assessment studies and safety audits of its

policy ? If so,with what results ?

Modi's decision to scrap the Planning Commission ( PC) is a welcome step.

Set up in 1950 by a GOI's resolution, the PC had lost its relevance and

utility. It was a drain on non-Plan expenditure. No wonder, the commission

was permitted by MOF to renovate the  washroom of Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia,

its Dy Chairman in Yojana Bhavan costing  Rs 35 lakhs (non-Plan). Later,

under Media pressure,it was thrown open to public.The Congress-led UPA

misused the Commission   to rehabilitate its favourites as Members ,enjoying

status and privileges of MOSs.The quality of deliberations in PC leading to

allocation of Plan  resources, had become  lacklustre, arbitrary and

irresponsible. Decisions were taken on personal and political

considerations.Discussions were a charade and merit became the

casualty.Sheer waste of manpower. Empowering States with more say in Plan

allocation,will strengthen country's  co-operative federalism.

The PMO should  now spell out the  format, Vision and Mission statements of

the replacement  body .

The touts, moneybags, fixers, builders mafia -call them what you will-- are

back in action for facilitating  Board level appointments in public sector

units, both industrial and banking. Country's Maharatnas/nav-Ratnas and

mini-Ratnas  are available for auction to highest bidders. The Coal, Steel,

Oil  and Power sectors are the worst affected. Merit is the obvious

casualty. And,the fixers don't serve gratis.It is on Quid Pro Quo basis.

Now ,there is no Congress Hq,nor an effete PMO of Manmohan Singh's vintage.

Modi ji is trusted as a No-nonsense man and so is the present PMO.

Then, where do orders for manipulating/ touting  appointments to the

inefficient and tainted officers ,come from ?

Who is pulling the srings ?

Things are not hunky dory,elsewhere,too.

Candidates are shortlisted for interviews on considerations other merit.

Let Modi ji instruct  the new Director,CBI (Anil Sinha) to keep all crucial

officers under its radar.

It is not possible to give proofs as the deals are clandestine.Let the CBI

identify the touts and government officers by sending decoys, conducting

raids, search and seizures operations.

A farfetched  question  to form an authoritative opinion on PM's choice in

2024 . Arun Jaitley's  exclusion seems justified as he never won any

elections. A similar debate on : "After, Nehru,who", was initiated by  Nehru

loyalists  to push Indira Gandhi's candidature as next PM after 1962

debacle.But, Lal Bahadur Shastri emerged out of the blue as the ultimate

choice.Perhaps, none out of 13 probables could be in the shortlist for PM's

post  in 2024. Even, BJP's chief Amit Shah, a Modi's favourite, seems out of

question. Modi belongs to a different class. Even, Obama  praised him for

shaking India's bureaucratic inertia. If things go well, Modi could gear up

the country to face challenges in 2024. Considerations of religions,

castes,regions would become irrelevant. Due to paradigm shift in ethical

values and moral standards , the benchmark  criteria for leadership could be

far stricter.

Against this background, it would be unfair, unjust and too pre-mature  to

hazard  a  guess about  the PM's choice in 2024 .

There are  strong indications  that  GOI is planning to reduce  retirement

age from 60 to 58 years. This will   result in  :- (a)attracting

technically savvy, multi-skilled  professionals into public services; (b)

reducing  unemployment; (c) having a smarter  bureaucracy; (d)reducing

fiscal deficit ; (e) reducing  non-Plan expenditure through job outsourcing

and have fixed salary contractual appointments instead of creating permanent

liability and ,most importantly, (f)  in tackling  challenges of the

demographic dividend phase, which India is entering now, while China is

exiting.Even the western world is ageing.

 In order to meet the burden of  pensionary liability , GOI should mobilize

funds by speeding up   tax recoveries, repatriate  black money from  tax

havens  abroad as well as from  within  the country by  carrying out income

tax raids  on realtors , Estate agents, big business  houses  etc .