Single file system from Oct. 15

By A.Jayaram

BANGALORE, OCT. 8. The Government is going ahead with the implementation of the recommendations of the State's Administrative Reforms Commission contained in its interim report and introducing the single file system ``between the heads of departments and the Karnataka Government Secretariat'' from October 15.

Once the new system, aimed at reducing delays in scrutiny of proposals from the field departments at the Secretariat level, is put in place, it will be the fourth recommendation to be acted upon. The Commission, headed by the former Law Minister, Mr. Haranahalli Ramaswamy, submitted its interim report in January 2001.

So far, Government Orders have been issued instructing government officers at various levels to set apart one hour every day to meet members of the public and hear their grievances; introduction of Desk Officer system in the Secretariat, and declaring every Saturday as a meeting-free day in the State Secretariat.

The Principal Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Administrative Reforms), Mr. Shantanu Consul, has said in the GOs that to begin with, secretaries to Government have been authorised to identify the type and nature of issues/subjects to be dealt with under the single file system.

However, the aim was that all proposals from the heads of the departments should come under that system. But in certain type of cases where questions of law or inter- departmental issues were involved, a parallel file might be opened in the Secretariat department.

He further says that not all files originating from the head of a department need be examined at all levels in the Secretariat.

In its interim report, the Administrative Reforms Commission had said: ``The greatest advantage in the Single File System is that it would dispense with the section (since the file need not be built up in the Secretariat).

All the information as required from the field department would be available (time would not be wasted in back references) and speed up file movement.

The single file system would bridge the knowledge gap in terms of procedure and subject matters in the field departments as well as in the Secretariat. In the Secretariat, the system will build capacity in due course without extra effort and in a sustainable manner. The common complaint that Secretariat officials do not have field knowledge would gradually reduce.

At a time when we are talking of transparency and openness, there need not be any secrecy, and every matter could be dealt with on a single file between the Secretariat and the field department.

A procedure has to be evolved to ensure that both the field departments and the Secretariat have adequate information about the subject after the final decision is taken in the matter.''

The Commission's views on the Right to Information Act vis-a-vis the Indian Official Secrets' Act, 1923, and the Karnataka Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1966, which preclude the officials from divulging to outsiders or to the other government servants any information whether expressly marked confidential or not are worth reproduction - ``After the Government has introduced the Right to Information Act, this provision in the Secretariat manual is not in consonance with the provisions of the Act.

Therefore, this provision needs to be revised to provide flexibility to the officers to divulge information to the general public as per the provisions of the Act.''

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