Weeding out non-performing bureaucrats: A move towards Minimum Government, Maximum Governance?

September 4, 2020, 11:46 AM IST Quick Edit in sanyam's blog | India, politics |

Sending a strong warning to errant employees, Centre has notified new rules to prematurely retire those who complete 30 years of service or cross 50/55 age groups after performance reviews. The move is expected to weed out corrupt and inefficient officers. The complaint about the bureaucracy was that there is no deterrence against poor performance, unlike the corporate world, and Centre’s tightening of service rules will have a salutary effect.

Ultimately, the aim must be to cut red tape. But equal care must be taken to ensure that the provisions are not used vindictively against upright officers. Governments must also extend the service and pension rules in the direction of a mandatory cooling off period for all senior employees. Government officers joining private companies immediately after retirement is the pathway to crony capitalism and conflict of interest.