AP govt initiates steps with objective to simplify procedures

TheAndhra Pradesh government today set in motion a process to "rationalise and optimise" various departments to "improve administrative efficiency" with an emphasis on simplifying the procedures.
As a first step in the direction, the government has grouped the existing 31 departments of the state Secretariat into seven sectors and assigned a Special Chief Secretary or Principal Secretary to each sector to study the proposed rationalisation and optimisation issues within the departments.
"The government has been emphasising on simplification of procedures and rationalisation of the departments and increased use of information technology to make governance more efficient, effective, simple and user-friendly.

"Therefore, measures should be taken to improve the administrative efficiency by enhancing coordination and cooperation among different departments and their programmes," Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar has said.
He said synergies could be created among programmes in such areas as communication and awareness activities, community outreach, membership management, delivery of benefits, data collection, monitoring and evaluation.
"With computerisation, there is need to rationalise and optimise the departments without affecting their efficiency," he added.

The chief secretary directed the secretary of each department to look into the functioning of his or her respective department, and also the corporations under it, and submit recommendations for rationalising and optimising the staff requirements by November 10.

The secretary assigned to a specific sector would, in turn, study the optimal use of existing heads of departments and corporations and submit a report to the chief secretary by November 20.
The proposals thus received would be given a final shape by November 30 by a state-level committee headed by the CS.
The seven sectors created are agriculture, industry, infrastructure, welfare, services, local bodies (urban and rural) and regulatory and advisory.