Apropos T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan's column "Forget corruption, focus on competence" (Line and Length, May 4), it may not be advisable to isolate corruption from incompetence and indolence as the evils plaguing civil servants. There is a strong correlation between corruption and ability. To make a success out of a corrupt practice, a public servant has to be adept at the job, so as to give no cause for complaint by superiors and avoid being caught in the act. Since graft is rampant at all government levels, it follows that there are possibly many government employees, at hierarchical ranks, involved in malpractice.
The problem of good governance is complicated by the intake of less-competent personnel due to political influence, as well as low pay scales compared to the private sector. Besides, as the writer observed, protection under Article 311 of the Constitution promotes indolence and poor attitude towards work. This needs to be amended to exclude inefficient performers and include protection of honest government servants.
Y G Chouksey Pune
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