FinMin relaxes norms for top jobs in govt banks | Business Standard
FinMin relaxes norms for top jobs in govt banks | Business Standard
The following comments were included in a response to the above report:
At the time of selection of the
present SBI chairperson, Finance Ministry had faced the same problem of having
only one eligible candidate to ‘select’ from. The formality of selection procedure was complied with by relaxing
the qualifying norms (relating to age and remaining period of service) and
considering more candidates. Ultimately the candidate satisfying the norms
without any relaxation was selected temporarily dodging a controversy. Now that
the next vacancy is arising only in August 2014, authorities could have
reviewed the eligibility norms for broad-basing the pool for selection keeping
in view the need to ensure longer tenure for incumbants and infusing efficiency
at the top.
There is another dimension to the
story. The Indian industry, trade unions and the intelligentsia gives an
impression that they are comfortable with a ‘weak’ decision-making
infrastructure in governance, esecially in government, regulatory and
supervisory bodies and public sector organisations, which can be influenced
easily. The advantages are obvious:
·
Concessions ‘managed’ by India Inc. in the
current Budget are estimated at over Rs
5,73,000 crore which is 10 per cent higher than the total fiscal deficit of the
Central government and would be, perhaps, adequate to provide for meeting the
entire pension liability of Central government, as on date(According to a 2008
estimate, the net present value of the pension liabilities of central
government now being met on a Pay
As You Go basis was Rs 3,35,628 crore-6th Pay Commission Report,2008).
If GOI had management experts who can bargain with India Inc. on a level
playing field, a substantial portion of this amount of Rs5,73,000 crore would
have flowed to the country’s treasury.
·
Democratic process and professionalism are bad
words in politics and for trade unions which are, by and large, managed by
political parties. Beyond some media gimmicks and occasional ‘stoppage of
work’, there are no serious efforts from the side of trade unions to study
issues and fight for solutions. Democratization of and infusing professionalism
in trade union leadership can bring sea changes in the wages, prices and income
policies of the country. Political leadership will resist this as the present
dispensation is easy to manage and workers form the captive human resource for
election work.
·
The intelligentsia who claim to be the
spokespersons of public opinion and fill the media space, pretend to be
ignorant of all these, as they, like old time teachers, do not have to do much
homework, if the status quo continues.
·
Literacy improvement is kept in the back burner,
consciously. Perhaps industrially developed states have lower positions in
human development indicators including literacy. This could be a subject for
research.
These are some
stray issues, if debated and churned in a dispassionate manner, may take us to
some changes in the approaches to governance, which could help us in viewing
issues like poverty, healthcare, literacy, financial inclusion and generally
economic development from a different perspective.
M G WARRIER, Mumbai
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