Doing away with Ghugi for good governance
THERE WAS A PUNJAB CIVIL SERVICE OFFICER, LOOKING AFTER THE LICENSING BRANCH AT THE BATHINDA DC’S OFFICE. HE WAS GOOD NATURED, WITTY AND EVER HELPFUL BUT WOULD NOT BROOK ANY ARROGANCE OF THOSE WHO VISITED HIM FOR OFFICE WORK
The other day, as I went through media reports on the Punjab government’ s direction to officials to not just initial files but also write their name and designation, I was reminded of two incidents. One relates to the time when I was posted at Bathinda in the midseventies and the other when I was in the state information commission in 2010.
Those familiar with government functioning know how files are marked. The file trail is vertical and horizontal. Right from bottom upwards in the hierarchy, bureaucrats put their‘ illegible’ initials, sometimes without the date. Now the state wants ‘legible’ signatures and designation of the dealing hands.
In day-to-day functioning in our life and in the government, it is a common refrain, a norm, to ask someone in authority in popular parlance: Yaar, Ghugi mari; put your initials; meaning sign the file(s) or paper(s) in question. (Ghugi otherwise means dove.)
The new instructions, perhaps or probably, are intended to bring about more efficiency, efficacy, speed and transparency for good governance, besides fixing responsibility and accountability in the public authorities.
As tothe two incidents, there was a Punjab Civil Service officer, looking after the licensing branch in the deputy commissioner’s office at Bathinda. He was good natured, witty and ever helpful but would not brook any arrogance of those who visited him for office work.
One day, a powerful Congress MLA barged into his office, as was his wont given his proximity to the then chief minister, and flung a licence at him re marking :“Ah,Ghugi mar de, ya ar; ap ne he band ahai( Please signup, he is my man )”. The officer with a smirk did as he was asked to do and handed the licence back, which the MLA pocketed without looking at it.
As we sat sipping tea, within minutes the MLA was back, fretting and fuming! In a raised voice, he asked the officer what he thought of himself. I was perplexed. Since I knew the MLA well, he showed me the licence on which the officer had drawn a neat outline of a bird – was it Ghugi – and no initials! I held back my smile, while the officer said he had simply done what he was asked to do. The matter was later amicably settled between the two with the intervention of the deputy commissioner.
One hopes with new instructions, the request for Ghugi would not be taken literally to draw one! One may learn and remember to ask: signatures, please.
The second incident happened in the state information commission. As per the Right to Information Act, 2005, the public information officer (PIO) is not to ‘create’ information but provide attested, legible photocopies of the documents/information sought, as it exists on record and held by the public authority.
In a particular case, an applicant insisted that the PIO identify each of the officials from the ‘initials’ on the given documents, and state their name and designation. He was informed this was not done but he was adamant. He created a ruckus. Even today, I am still unable to understand why the PIO chose to do what the unreasonable information-seeker was insisting on. Satisfied, he left the court with an air of triumph!
One can only hope and pray that doing away wit hG hugi( initials) system, replacing it with proper signatures and designation of officials will help in good governance, making the public authorities more responsive and responsible. Yet, one wonders, if this is the only way out for quick and speedy file movement, tied as these are in red tape.