Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that he was confident of delivering at least 50 per cent of his party’s poll promises during his five-year tenure.
Having understood the talent and capabilities of the bureaucracy at his command, Mr. Kejriwal said he was confident that his government’s performance will not be rated as “bad” if he is able to fulfil even 40 per cent to 50 per cent of the poll promises.
“Bureaucrats come from the same society we do. Individuals are not bad, the system is. When we came to power, we were apprehensive about what we can achieve. Expectations are huge. But after two months, I have realised that there are several good people in bureaucracy. Now I am confident that in five years, if not 100 per cent, we will fulfil at least 40 per cent to 50 per cent of our promises. It won’t be considered bad,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
The Chief Minister was addressing senior Delhi government officials and IAS probationers at a panel discussion, titled “Civil Services: Challenges and Opportunities”, at the Delhi Secretariat on the eve of Civil Services Day.
The panel discussion was attended by legal luminaries like Ram Jethmalani, also the BJP Rajya Sabha MP, and Rajeev Dhawan, besides former Cabinet Secretary T.S.R. Subramanian and former Revenue Secretary N.K. Singh.
Asserting that his government will follow the carrot and stick principle of “awarding the performer and punishing the corrupt” in order to meet the expectations of the people of Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal said he wants to inculcate a sense of “competition” among the bureaucrats.
While the Aam Aadmi Party government returned to power over its promise to tackle corruption, Mr. Kejriwal invited the bureaucracy — 90 per cent of whom he said were honest — to forge a partnership with his government and collectively deliver good governance.
“We need to change the fundamentals of governance. Everybody talks about capitalism. Capitalism is all about competition. It’s important to bring competition in bureaucracy. The natural instinct [of bureaucrats] is not to work after getting a safe job and salary. We need to change that. We need to hire domain experts from outside the bureaucracy, as delivery of some of the services like water, power and sewer is pretty technical,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
Reaching out to the bureaucrats, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that “working with the best brains of our times has been the most unique experience after joining the government”.
He urged the bureaucracy to “reinvent” itself for restoring its lost talent. “Ministers and bureaucrats have to learn to co-exist,” Mr. Sisodia said, adding that he expected officers to give preference to public good over technicalities.
“The bureaucracy has the capacity required to function and deliver, but they lack courage. Ministers and bureaucrats will have to trust each other to provide honest delivery in the interests of the common man,” he said.
