PM urges Chief Secs to ensure effective efficient governance

New Delhi, July 20 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today urged state governments to cut down the red tape and ensure an effective, efficient and corruption free governance and ensure law and order by meeting the challenges of Naxalism and terrorism.

Addressing a meeting of the Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories here, Dr Singh siad terrorists and naxalites which are the greatest threat to internal security could not be allowed to succeed and get away with their crimes.

He asked them to face Naxalism and terrorism by marshalling all resources, utilising all available technologies and improving the capabilities of the manpower in meeting them. He urged Chief Secretaries to show leadership and empower their police forces so they could discharge their functions at a higher level of efficiency.

Assuring all support and help from the Centre, the Prime Minister said the states would have to gear up their machinery to meet these challenges as no progress and development could take place in the absence of law and order. Morever, maintaintaing law and order and citizens security was the primary responsibility of the state.

The Prime Minister said Chief Secretaries should adopt a leadership role to ensure a procedural and attitudinal change in the bureaucracy to ensure that its interface with the public becomes a pleasant one. Urging them to uphold the values of honesty, integrity and professional excellence, Dr Singh said they should show clarity of vision, decisiveness in action and leadership by example which are essential for effective governance.

He asked Chief Secretaries to create a benchmark and provide a framework whereby their subordinates could discharge their functions without or favour, feel secure and are rewarded for each correct action.

Morever, red taple in the form of cumbersome procedures, complicated forms, inordinate delays and most importantly an insensitive and unconcerned staff should be cut down by simplification of transactions, strengthening accountability, using IT an e-governance tools and promoting behabavioural changes in the government employees, he said.

Pointing out that the Right to Information Act wa an important legal provision to promote accountability and consequently promote attitudinal changes, he said the act could become a vital instrument for cutting down corruption and ensuring that the goals set for improved public service deliver could be met.

In a democratic framework, nothing works like popular expectation and public pressure. In the final analysis, this is the best instrument for enforcing behavioural change. You have to see this act in the right spirit, as an aid to good governance and utilise it for transforming your governance into citizen frendly bodies,'' he said.

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