‘You’re not paid to say no’: Chief secy to officers

You should say yes, and try for it. If there is a hurdle or no solution, just give the reason

SS SANDHU, Uttarakhand chief secretary

DEHARDUN : Uttarakhand chief secretary SS Sandhu on Tuesday asked IAS officers of the state to change their approach and work for the public as “you are not paid to say no.”

Addressing the officers participating in the three-day ‘chintan ahivir’ in Mussoorie, Sandhu said, “It’s human psychology that when we say ‘no’, it increases our ego. We think that we have the power to say ‘no’. Let me tell you that a majority of us are victims of this syndrome. Whoever comes, including from the public, we just say no -- that it can’t happen. If we say yes, it eliminates the ego and attains self-realization that we have no power over. I don’t have to tell anybody. We all know how many of us prefer to say NO, and how many of us have control over our egos. You have to self-introspect.”

“You should say yes, and try for it. If there is a hurdle or no solution, just give the reason. Most officers do not even listen completely and say no. Many even brag about it.”

The chief secretary said officers are paid to deliver things and not to say ‘no’ and create hindrances.

“If you are intelligent, find a way. We often quote rules that they don’t allow but if any issue is big, we can change the rules. Who has made the rules? We have.

“In the recent cabinet meeting, many proposals for amendments to the current laws were passed. We immediately take approval from the cabinet. Changing rules is in our hands but every time we cite current rules it can’t happen. But we don’t try to work on it to benefit the public. We have to change our approach and self-introspect. It has become our habit and we subconsciously keep on doing it. I am not saying you do it intentionally… It has become a habit over the years. If you are intelligent, you would make things simple. If you are less intelligent, you would make things complex. Our focus should be on keeping things simple. It’s an intelligent way to act,” he said.

The chief secretary also said bureaucrats who refrain from taking decisions should take voluntary retirement.