Day 12 – Q 2. Various ministries in India work in silos leading to lack of coordination and inordinate delays. What suggestions would you give to resolve this problem?
2. Various ministries in India work in silos leading to lack of coordination and inordinate delays. What suggestions would you give to resolve this problem?
भारत में विभिन्न मंत्रालय अलग थलग कार्य करते हैं जिसके कारन समन्वय का अभाव और अनियमित देरी होती है। इस समस्या को हल करने के लिए आप क्या सुझाव देंगे?
Introduction:
Coordination is the mechanism through which policies, strategies, plans, peoples, systems, and tools are brought together to achieve a particular goal. Government services are often cross-sectional, interlinked and complementary particularly in the areas of agriculture, education, trade, and mining. One particular service or service provider functioning improperly will affect the entire system.
Poor co-operation results in the following challenges:
- Certain government initiatives are duplicated and costly.
- Capacity building efforts are often duplicated and/or inconsistently applied across ministries. One state employee may receive two or three similar training while another employee receives none.
Recommendations to solve the problems:
- Establish an online software system with multiple entries from different ministries: The first option of establishing an interactive online IT system is innovative to this context. The system would connect both the technical and high-level decision-makers at the capital and provinces of a particular ministry with their counterparts from another ministry. Such a system would also harmonize the efforts of different departments within one ministry by allowing policymakers to develop policies jointly through interactive tools. This system would accumulate all necessary and relevant documents, guidelines and procedures for the effective operation of government affairs. The system would automatically send emails and text message reminders about upcoming events and deadlines for completing a particular task. The system would be a coordination and cooperation hub across government ministries. All current initiatives and past programmes would be listed in the system to avoid future duplication.
- Establish a coordinating ministry tasked solely with managing inter-ministerial relations: The second option of establishing a coordinating ministry is also promising since the government body would coordinate plans, policies, programmes, and activities between the ministries. This new organization would monitor the work of all ministries. Singapore has an experience of having a separate ministry dedicated to coordination and it could serve as the model for policy design.
- Establish a regulatory framework to promote inter-ministerial coordination in the existing context: The third option is to establish a regulatory framework designed to enhance coordination among government bodies. A legislative regulation to improve coordination would be drafted and passed, and all ministries would be tasked with its implementation for coordination purposes. This regulation would target the areas where lapses or duplications occur and would encourage ministries to work together.
Conclusion
Poor coordination is a major obstacle to the effective administration of government services. The steps like Parivesh –for single clearance of projects related to the environment are stepped in the right direction.
Best Answer: P29
