Rediff On The NeT: Orissa Chief Minister Patnaik's panacea for more responsive governance

No need to screen top administrative postings twice over: Patnaik

Orissa Chief Minister J B Patnaik on Saturday rejected the proposal to constitute a separate civil services board in the state to oversee the posting of officers with ranks above joint secretaries, collectors and superintendents of police.

He said these postings were ''processed'' by the secretaries concerned and the chief secretary and, hence, did not need any further screening.

The Orissa government, Patnaik told the chief minister's meeting, was in the process of decentralising powers. This would provide the local bodies a bigger role to play, besides improving the transparency and openness in implementing various programmes.

As for reviewing laws, regulations and procedures, Patnaik said his government, after preparing a draft revenue code in which all the revenue and land reform laws have been consolidated, has introduced a bill in the assembly. This will simplify the implementation of revenue laws and improve the transparency in the functioning of tahasils and other revenue offices.

He also urged the centre to suitably amend the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, so that it will not adversely affect the implementation of development projects in the state. Work in a large number of mines, he pointed out, had stopped due to the provisions of this act, causing large-scale unemployment.

He assured the meeting that Orissa will take all necessary steps to implement the provisions of the proposed Freedom of Information Bill prepared by the centre.

Speaking about the code of ethics for public services, Patnaik said, ''We cannot fail taking notice of the general fall in the moral values and ethics of public service.'' To improve the standards of integrity of ''some public servants'', Orissa had already concurred with the proposal of the centre to amend the conduct rules of government employees. ''The charter will help more public servants to withstand the pressure from superior authority's orders which may be illegal,'' he said.

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