Malda Training Diary - Administrative Training Institute

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forum. What was needed was to broad-base and variegate the recruitment of IAS to include
doctors, engineers, as this would cushion clashes with technical heads of depts. Mr.Ghose
told me that the Personnel dept. had asked that every officer should revert to districts after 3
years in Sectt. Most of our Secys have been holding that post for over 10 years! Hence,
frustration, ossification, cynicism. Change is essential, either by going on deputation to GoI
or abroad.
Mr.Ghose took a look at my assignments and for the questionnaire on land, referred me to the
DLRS, Board of Revenue.
P.K.Samaddar was sent to Cal by DM today to find out if a certified copy of electoral roll
extract was essential for a nomination, or if a certificate stating the roll number would be
enough. He has orders to return tomorrow night, whatever the difficulty.
12.5.1972
Work done
Accompanied Secy to CM in his work
Sat in on Wakf Estate (Bais Hazari) trust committee meeting with DM
Evening talk at DM’s bungalow.
Information
After attending office, I went at 1130 to CH and found a massive crowd waiting to see the
CM. Found JS at DM’s office writing up points from fortnightly report of each dept.
alphabetically. He finished around 1 pm, when it was too late for me to meet CM who was
leaving for a public meeting. So we came back and he trunk called the CS and Relief Minister
Santosh Roy for reports on drought in Purulia, Bankura with CM’s instructions to tackle it on
a war footing. In Purulia, GR has been raised from 0.5 to 2 and ½ % and will now be made 3
and ½ %. OF the Rs.60 lakhs allotted, 57 lakhs have been spent. For TR out of rs.1.40 crore,
86 lakhs b\spent. More cant be given without GoI’s vetting since it will involve tapping the
Famine fund and the DMs have not reported any such condition tho’ the press is flashing it
prominently. The only way out is to dig massive deep wells all over the place to tap the
water. Tubewells can’t be sunk because of the rocky subsoil at 150 feet. Wells dry up. People
go out at 4 am as far as 8 miles to dig in river beds and scoop out the water into pots!
Talking of what we learn in NAA, he said it is the management techniques that one should
learn and read for this management in govt. Why can’t we discard the colonial present system
of an army of clerks feeding an officer without the power to sign a single letter? This was
needed to rule another people, not for one’s own people. In UK each officer keeps his own
files in his filing cabinet. Each assistant has his allotted work which he disposes of
independently. There is no veneration of files with every reminder and note being kept.
Letters go directly to persons concerned and are disposed of by them independently. He said
Mr.A.N.Jha had tried to do a little cutting out of duplication of files in Information Ministry
and this failed because officers complained of being unable to cope without clerks! Result of
generations of such training.
Mr.Ghose did his MA (English) from St. Stephen’s, joined IAS 1960. Director of NAA was
Mr.A.N. Jha. Was SDO Barrackpore, Ast. Mgte at Burdwan (where he hardly met DM twice
for tea as the DM constantly looked down his nose at him) and then posted on personal staff
of Mrs.Gandhi (then Information Minister) for some months. Then ADM Delhi plus Secy to
Lt. Governor and then back as DC Cooch Behar, followed by Director of Census 1969-72
(part time job at present).
Spl. Officer to CM (i.e. PA—he was BC Roy’s PA too, Sri Saroj Chakravarti) is arriving
today. Mr Ghose had asked the people in Cal to send along a PA with CM, but was told this
wasn’t required as the files being taken were not important. But first thing CM did on
reaching Malda was to tell Mr Ghose that the files had urgent matters and that these must be
disposed of at once. So the PA is finally coming!