Transparency still a distant reality - PM.

Prime Minister Manmohan Sing , while addressing conference of Chief Secretaries at New Delhi on 03 Feb12 stated that "efforts to ensure transparency,accountability and probity in public life would take a long time". At another time in the same address he said , " we still have long way to go in our efforts for ensuring transparency , accountability and probity in public life."

There can not be a worst form of misfortune for a country to hear and to read the total surrender and the helplessness being projected by the Prime Minister to the very persons who have been largely responsible for such a sorry state of affairs.Remember he was addressing the Chief Secretaries of states . 

These worthies must have not only heaved a sigh of relief but also smiled to themselves at being indirectly told by the Prime Minister himself to carry on with the old ways for indefinite period of time . 

The Chief Secretary of a states is an IAS (State Cadre) or AIS (All India Services) officer with minimum of 13 years of service ( selection grade ) or 14 years of service(Super Time Grade,reduced from 16 yrs in 2008.)

IAS Officers are trained to handle govern­ment affairs. This being their main responsibility, every civil servant is assigned to a particular office which deals with policy matters pertaining to that area. The policy matters are framed, modified, interpreted in this office under the direct supervision of the Administrative Officer in consultation with the Minister. 
Now it goes without saying that the Civil servant is custodian of all the records pertaining to the govt affairs, policy matters and every thing connected with the same .He also holds all the notings on file which hold recommendations , views, agreements , disagreements etc etc of the policy matter. These files / bundles of information, be it routine , important or of vital national interest are very very zealously guarded by these civil servants.Even the information to which an individual is entitled will not be given to concerned person under one pretext or the other.Remember the strongest opposition to RTI Act had come from the Babudom. For obvious reasons , their specific and strongest opposition was in making public the "noting"on file.Even now when RTI Act is a reality the Babus made sure that it was in a very diluted form.
.Our Prime Minister should have called a spade a spade and asked the Chief Secretaries to pull up their socks along with the socks of junior babus under them in bringing transparency and probity in the public life . The PM himself and his Government must hold The Babudom accountable as they are responsible to implement the the policies laid down by the Govt.
( Note :Author has taken some information from the IAS pages of wilki and other sources from the internet.)