VISION FOR STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE INSTITUTE’S ACTIVITIES?

INTRODUCTION

1. Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Punjab (MGSIPAP) was created to review and undertake research and development projects in the various areas of Public Administration particularly those areas, which are characterized, by faults and deficits in the system leading to poor performance and inefficiency. The objective stipulated in the Institute’s Bye Laws, very clearly emphasize the need of undertaking research projects.
The government spends a lot of money on various developmental and welfare activities but due to poor system and lack of empirical research studies, the output in terms of capacity utilization has been far satisfactory and probably low compared to financial allocation. Therefore, government working has constantly been assailed at various forums on this account. Apart from criticism from public and the media Comptroller and Auditor General, Finance Commission and the Planning Commission has taken a serious view of this lapse. It is, therefore, wise to spare some money in order to identify such deficit areas and undertake the remedial measures. The objective stipulate in the Institute Bye-laws emphasized that the Institute shall also identify and workout remedial actions plan in such areas of deficiency
Research, Reform and Training for Good Governance is the motto of the Institute. Reform has to be based on research, and training is the means for effectively installing the reforms into the system. For this, the Institute has to adopt a highly flexible and versatile mode of work especially because the nature of work and
priorities keep changing depending on the mandates received from the various departments of the state government and the Government of India. The objectives envisaged in the Institute’s Memorandum of Association render it a premier Institute of the state government for examining and addressing various aspects of public administration in all spheres of governance. This paper outlines the organizational approach for managing these daunting responsibilities in a versatile manner.

TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE

2. In order to plan and execute research, training and consultancy activities in the districts where all the programmes are to be delivered, the Institute has set up its Regional Centres at Patiala, Ferozepur and Jalandhar. These Regional Centres will cover the districts included in respective Revenue Divisions. The Institute has also set up eight District Centres. While these Regional and District Centres will have sufficient freedom in making choice about the specific fields of research, training or consultancy, efforts would be made to achieve a synergy between the District and Regional Centres and between these centres and the headquarter of the Institute.

FUNCTIONAL AND SUBJECT-SPECIFIC STRUCTURES

3. Activities of the Institute at the headquarter are being organized under two major blocks - those called Divisions are functional in nature which will provide service to all Centres and those called Subject Centres are sectoral in nature. Research, Training, Consultancy, Publication, Facilities, Coordination etc. are the various Functional Divisions of the Institute and the Subject Centres are - Centre for Law, Justice and Governance; Centre for Capacity Building for Poverty Reduction; Centre for Labour Welfare Studies; Centre for Studies in Agricultural
Economy; Centre for Urban Governance; Centre for Disaster Management; Centre for Participatory Management / NGO Development; Centre for Management of Civil Engineering Works; Centre for Probity and Transparency in Governance etc.

ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT

4. While the organizational structure of the territorial and subject centres will be designed and evolved from time to time under the overall guidance of Executive Committee of the Institute, the territorial structures have to be built around the leadership of the Deputy Commissioners / Divisional Commissions. Likewise, the subject centres at the Institute’s headquarter are to be formed by collaboration of the Institute with the experts, stakeholders and representatives of the concerned government departments. Both types of centres will have a Standing Committee comprising of about 15 persons and an Advisory Council comprising of over 35 persons associating all knowledgeable persons and stakeholders. Unless otherwise directed by the Executive Committee of the Institute, these Centres shall exercise administrative and financial powers which the Director General may delegate from time to time. Thus, all these Centres will function under the administrative framework of the Institute.

PARTICIPATORY COORDINATION

5. In order to avoid red-tape and facilitate academic inter-action, it is proposed to adopt conference and workshop system for inter-action among various functional, sectoral and territorial units of the Institute. Accordingly, there shall be two days’ Conference-cum-workshop as annual event to he held in the fourth quarter of each calendar year at Chandigarh in which all the territorial centers and subject centres and the functional divisions will participate to present, evaluate and
plan together the activities of the Institute. During the remaining three quarters of the year, such inter-actional events will be organized at each of the Regional Centres in which the respective District Centres and the sectoral / subject centres and functional divisions of the headquarter will participate.

WIDE CONSULTATION

6. We can achieve improvements in the quality of developmental, regulatory and welfare programmes of the state government only when all employees of the government including bright retired officers and the leaders of the society pool their talents and suggestions. Therefore, an effective system of appeal to them all to come forward and take initiatives for these purposes has to be at the forefront of all our activities. Collecting, collating and compiling of everybody’s suggestions call for an efficient system of standards and protocols. The Institute’s main strategy would be to identify and develop a network of capable and innovative officers in various departments of the government at all levels and associate them as Resource Persons by conferring some honorary designations so that they feel inspired and involved. The idea is to implant the Institute in the government and the government in the Institute. For this, Convention Centre of the Institute is to be transformed into a vibrant knowledge Management Club so that all knowledgeable resources of the government and the society are mobilized and channelised for productive activities.

SUPPLEMENTING HUMAN RESOURCE

7. While some of the activities can be outsourced, a significant in-house expertise has to be developed for which the Institute should have a cadre of research, consultancy and training executives in specified areas. It is strongly felt
that we will have to associate outstanding (recently) retired personnel because they possesses a rich and valuable experience that can be harnessed by the Institute at a very low cost. It is also proposed to associate serving officers having aptitude for research, training and documentation in various ways. The Institute would associate them as honorary fellows / associates. These officers could even take up projects specific to their departments. The Institute might extend stipend or other facilities to encourage them. They could also work as Consultant on regular basis in the department-specific centers set up in the Institute which would provide facilities and support for studies on project planning, system development for productivity , department specific training, impact assessment of schemes, etc. specific to the requirements of the respective departments.

DEVELOPING CONSULTANCY CAPABILITIES

8. The necessity of contracting out costly consultancy and study projects by government departments to private agencies arises from lack of institutionalization of knowledge and experience through institutional mechanism in the government. The disadvantage with contracting out management, research and evaluation consultancies to private sector lies in its inability to provide holistic view based on real insight. Different consultancy bodies examine at different times fragments of a whole which actually disorients the governance. Supplementary and follow up services at implementation or later stages are also missed out. High rate of attrition and multiplicity of private consultancy agencies, often accompanied with the risk of their taking projects without real hands-on experience in the relevant spheres distorts and disrupts rather than improve and streamline the administration. These handicaps will be addressed by the institute by nurturing
inhouse pool of experience supplemented by resources on contract as per need. Even when the departments/ government bodies feel the need of engaging private consultants, the institute would associate in selection and contract performance supervision so that an institutionalized wisdom is developed for grading, guiding and evaluating the work of private consultancies in an efficient manner. Efforts are afoot to institutionalize this arrangement.

NURTURING R&D TALENT IN STATE GOVERNMENT

9. In order to promote good governance through initiatives on account of research, reform and training, the Institute would endeavour to pursue suitable changes in Personnel policy. Development of pool of thinking persons within the government departments through a well-designed proactive and networking approach can help in selecting and nurturing new talents for research, reform and training. By amending personnel policy all officers of the government and its autonomous bodies could be mandated to contribute in these spheres, ensuring that promotion and grading be based interalia on their aptitude, capability and contribution to research and innovation. Accordingly, a number of initiatives are planned to identify, associate and equip the persons in the departments to generate, manage and sustain innovation, reform and change within the government. The Institute will act as a catalyst to function as R&D laboratory of the state government to find solutions to the problems of governance after taking a holistic view.