ISLAMABAD: The government has announced ‘Idea Award Scheme’ for asking bureaucrats to send suggestions for improving governance and decision-making process by offering them even cash prizes.
Top bureaucrats contacted to The News on Tuesday and pointed out that Establishment Division invited suggestion from serving and retired bureaucrats aimed at bringing improvement in governance through adopting merit based decision-making process.
When contacted to Establishment Division high-ups for seeking comments on Tuesday night, they said that they got approval from the competent authority to incorporate points aiming at improving decision-making process as its one of the function designated to the Establishment Division under the Rules of Business. They said that such ‘Idea Award Scheme’ was implemented once in the past when one bureaucrat was given Rs2000 cash prize for presenting an implementable idea in late 70s. Afterwards it was never implemented. Now the incumbent secretary Establishment Division has taken decision to revive this idea which will now be implemented in its true letter and spirit.
An official circular issued by Establishment Division to ministries/divisions and attached departments, a copy of which is available with The News stating that the suggestion might cover ten key aspects including efficiency, methods & procedures, systems, office lay-outs, equipments, file working with new IT system (e.g. E-filing system etc), cooperation, public relations, employees motivations and civil servant laws/rules in order to reduce red-tapism, bottlenecks, duplication, waste, out-dated rules/laws and irregularities.
Certain proposals, according to the circular, will not be considered including personal grievances, service problems, and changes in the setup of organisations, suggestions for legislations, already known measures and department specific impracticable.
The circular states that the ‘Idea Award Scheme’ was introduced by the government in 1961 to involve public servants in decision-making through inviting suggestions/ideas for the expeditious disposal of official business. Under this scheme, novel and original ideas are invited from the serving, and retired employees of the federal government, to harness their knowledge, expertise and vision for the improvement and efficiency of the government functionaries. The object of the scheme was to utilize the public servants' knowledge, expertise and their vision to enhance the efficiency of government machinery.
In this scheme, the received ideas/suggestions are initially scrutinised by an internal departmental scrutiny committee and then by a standing committee comprising of secretary Establishment Division, Secretary Cabinet Division, secretary Finance Division and director general Pakistan Public Administration Research Centre (PPARC).
This standing committee is the highest recommendation forum for recommending any idea to an award which may comprise issuing of a meritorious/performance certificate as well as to a cash award up to Rs100,000/- to the author ) of a suggestion, if it is approved for implementation.
All serving & retired employees of federal government as well as employees of semi-autonomous or autonomous bodies under the federal government, are eligible to give suggestions or ideas under the scheme. An employee may furnish his/her idea directly to this office or through e-mail.
With issuance of this circular, the sources said, the government seems conceded that the corruption has become part of system and Establishment Division seems least bothered about its rampant surge in increasing unwarranted practices at all levels of bureaucracy.
The top officials suggested the Establishment Division to reverse this whole scheme and come up mentioning elimination of corruption within the bureaucracy as top most agenda for achieving improvement in decision making process thus improving governance and social service delivery for providing solace in lives of common citizens of Pakistan.
One federal minister when contacted by The News said that he was unaware about any such move. This scribe also made efforts to contact Musadiq Malik, spokesman of PM but his cell phone found switched off.