DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was on Tuesday presented with the first set of 18 reports by the chairman of the Rationalization Commission, Rajan Gupta, during a meeting held here. The state government constituted the Rationalization Commission in 2023 to recommend restructuring of various government departments, boards and corporations, with the objective of making these entities more efficient and transparent, an official statement said.

The Commission has suggested restructuring all departments, from the lowest-level offices up to the office of the head of the department.

It has also recommended appropriate manpower, including IT and other technical staff, tailored to the requirements of each office level based on the nature of their duties. The reports submitted by the Commission include 16 department-specific reports and two general reports.

The 16 reports cover all engineering departments, as well as transport, urban local bodies, agriculture, higher education, and others. Saini directed Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi and other officials present in the meeting to initiate immediate steps for the implementation of the Commission's reports. The chief minister emphasized that five departments should be taken up on a pilot basis for time-bound implementation. These departments include public health engineering, irrigation, mines and geology, horticulture, and urban local bodies.

The Commission was also tasked with suggesting the introduction of modern management systems to improve departmental efficiency and enhance accountability at all levels.

Commission chairman Gupta, a retired IAS officer, informed the chief minister that another set of five reports is nearly complete and will be submitted within a few days. The exercise in respect of another 23 departments is at an advanced stage, the CM was informed.

The Commission, in its report, recommended a revised structure for each of the 88 municipal corporations, councils, and committees, as well as for each of the 179 government colleges.

It also proposed the creation of an independent Department of Drainage and Groundwater Recharging for flood control by dividing the existing irrigation department into two separate entities. Additionally, the report suggested the establishment of new institutions and the closure of redundant ones across several departments. With the exception of two or three departments, the number of posts is expected to increase significantly in almost all other departments. According to data available on the state government's Human Resource Management System (HRMS), the Commission has recommended creating 1,05,832 posts against the existing 1,04,980 posts in the 21 departments.

Gupta apprised the CM that the Commission's report aims to improve departmental efficiency by fully empowering the lowest levels of the departments that primarily interact with the public to be more responsive and accountable.

Additionally, the report includes provisions for spare capacity at each level to ensure departments can manage additional workloads effectively.

Gupta said that the Commission, in its report concerning the Human Resource Management System (HRMS), has recommended a complete overhaul of the platform. It has recommended that the HRMS should include sanctioned posts for each functional and establishment office within the departments. This will facilitate smooth management of human resources, including the effective placement of employees.

Besides Chief Secretary Rastogi, Chief Principal Secretary to CM Rajesh Khullar, Additional Principal Secretary to CM Saket Kumar and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.

(editor@dailyworld.in)