:: Dilip Cherian

Protecting babus

By Dilip Cherian

Jul 12 : Life hasn’t been easy for my favourite tribesmen in Uttar Pradesh after the elections, as chief minister Mayawati turned her ire on hapless babus by effecting large-scale transfers besides lashing out at them publicly for her electoral losses. So it must have been a welcome respite for 40 senior babus who went to the United States to attend a two-week training programme at Duke! Meanwhile, their colleagues are hoping that the United Progressive Alliance government’s plan to ensure fixed tenures for senior bureaucrats fructifies.

The Centre’s proposed legislation, some say. may even have been spurred by the experience of babus in Uttar Pradesh! A fix-end two-year tenure for senior babus to protect them from the vagaries of political changes and the personal whims of the netas seems like a dream. So far, this rule has been applied at the Centre, but it will now be binding at the state level too. Significantly, the Civil Services Bill proposes to make performance the major criterion for transfers and postings. But there is yet a long way to go before these proposals can see the light of day, if at all.

***

Patil’s firman

Given that all bureaucrats ultimately work at the pleasure of the President, words of wisdom from high up would perhaps have some impact. Pratibha Patil recently tried to discipline my favourite tribesmen early in their careers. Speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations at the National Academy in Mussoorie, she gave them a few tips to save themselves from the image of red tapism and opaqueness constantly surrounding bureaucrats.

In her speech, the President stressed that money was being pilfered out of the system and not reaching beneficiaries in full measure. Thus, Madame advises that Indian Administrative Service probationers must stop their "business-as-usual attitude" and ensure resources are utilised for the purpose they are intended for. Mrs Patil further reiterated that the work of babus must be "development-centric’’ and attitude "people-friendly’’. So do we expect the golden words spoken by our honourable President to signify real change?

***

More jobs

Globally the treatment given to biologics — new age medicines developed from organic molecules as opposed to old world chemical-based pharmaceuticals is beginning to diverge. The department of biotechnology, where Dr Maharaj Kishan Bhan rules, perhaps sensing this, is now planning to set up a National Biotechnology Regulatory Board. At present, both pharmaceutical products and biologics are regulated by the Drug Comptroller General of India (DCGI) where Surinder Singh works out appropriate norms.

This board is expected to regulate biologics under separate guidelines before forwarding the application back to DCGI. This move will naturally reduce the workload of babus in DCGI but may also create more jobs in this sector. Regulators clearly seem the flavour of the future.