De-politicise admin to maintain security, check graft: J&K guv

Asserting that the country faces serious challenges related to national security, Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra has emphasised on enactment of a federal law to probe terror cases across the country.
He said it is of crucial importance, particularly at the current juncture, for the Centre and the states to join hands for working more closely together and tackling all major pending tasks for building a strong and vibrant India.
"...The very first step required would relate to speedily de-politicising the entire administrative apparatus...And creating a countrywide environment for re-energising, enlarging and strengthening the vital institutions of governance," Vohra said.

He said even after the terror attacks in Mumbai, on Parliament and, more recently, on the Air Force base in Pathankot, the nation is still in the process of establishing the required countrywide apparatus which would have the capability of effectively safeguarding national security.
Vohra said steps were required to be taken by the Centre and the states for enacting a comprehensive federal law for establishing a fully empowered central agency which can take immediate cognisance and promptly investigate a terror attack.
He was delivering the first B K Nehru Memorial Lecture held on Saturday here.

B K Nehru, an Indian Civil Services officer, was former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir from 1981-84.

Vohra, who served as the union home secretary, defence secretary, and principal secretary to then prime minister I K Gujral and has been governor of J&K since 2008, said political interference in the functioning of the governmental machinery has generated indiscipline and unaccountability.
"It is a matter for grave concern that in many states it has virtually become a practice for pliant officers of doubtful integrity being handpicked on considerations of caste, community or political affiliations and assigned to lucrative posts for gathering funds for their political masters," he said.
"Resultantly, the best available public servants are perhaps not even considered for manning important posts in the administrative system," he said.

Blaming day-to-day political interference as the reason for indiscipline and unaccountability, he said it had become difficult for the common man to get any work done without paying bribes.
"This has led to the common man losing trust in the functioning of the administrative system," the governor said.
Vohra also cautioned that in several parts of the country community relations were disturbed and disrupted "by growing caste and religious divisiveness".
"This is resulting in time honoured socio-cultural traditions and practices being questioned with unjustifiable aggression, leading to inter-community clashes and violence," he said.