A K Bhattacharya in his column "The other side of an outlay cut" (New Delhi Diary, February 20) has raised a pertinent question for the government: shouldn't the manpower of central ministries be reduced commensurate with the reduction in their budget, which varies up to 88 per cent as in the case of the ministry of rural development? It is logical that in the ministries, where allocated funds are used mostly for executing and monitoring schemes and projects, the work also devolves on states along with the funds diverted to them. As such, the manpower needs of the former should also be scaled down.
Secondly, according to a study, the remuneration for central government employees increases three times with every Pay Commission report. Yet, there is no proportionate increase in their efficiency since they are overstaffed to the brim. Even the performance-linked pay system recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission failed to motivate bureaucracy, because the difference between the pay increase of an average and a high performer is insignificant.
This reminds one of Parkinson's first law, which was based on the study of British bureaucracy in the sixties. It said, "Work expands to fill in the time allowed for its completion" and showed that the headcount of the government servants bears little relationship with their workload. The rule is: "in numbers lies power and hence the more staff, the better."
Y G Chouksey Pune
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