365-day work

Making government offices work on all 365 days is perhaps a good idea but it will serve no practical purpose. Let us assume that an official belonging to a religion has availed himself of his holiday. He is also in-charge of a section and nothing moves without his consent, as is usually the case in government offices. A customer travels all the way to the office, only to be informed by the other staff that he is on leave. The customer's day is wasted.

In such situations, if government offices can find a way to allocate responsibility, then the idea of a 365-day work schedule is ideal.

D.P. Sadhanand,

Chittoor

What we need is not a 365-day government but a government that works. Postings and promotions should be on merit. Gone are the days when performance and discipline were rewarded. Perhaps we need to learn lessons from Singapore where perfection and commitment are the wheels that drive the system. In India, corruption, nepotism and favouritism have ruined the system. Even an hour of sincere work can work wonders.

P. Poovalingam,

Tirunelveli

Government employees need to have a restricted number of holidays. But they also need to do sincere and quality work. I do not agree that holidays to celebrate festivals should be restricted.

Preethi Vijayakumar,

Palakkad

In today's globalised world, a 365-day schedule is the need of the hour. But before it is put into practice, we need to realise that the infrastructure in government offices is not sophisticated. If one peeps into a government office, one can see a number of employees working even on a weekly holiday due to overwork. Growing computerisation of systems has made part of the workforce redundant. We need to be pragmatic.

Doddle Rajini,

Secunderabad

Working on all days will only inflate the expenditure on electricity, telephone, water, travelling allowances, canteen food at subsidised rates, etc. Instead, all government staff must be given computers with Internet connection so that they can work from home on holidays. Official data must also be updated on an hourly basis to let people know the fate of their petition. This will not only cut expenditure but also eliminate corrupt practices. And parents will be able to spend more time with their children.

V. Sundaralingam,

Vellore

I do not think the 365-day formula will be of any practical and effective use in a country that has been cradled for over 60 years in the lap of redtapism, bribery, favouritism, sycophancy, corruption and lack of patriotism. Corruption will increase manifold if government offices work all 365 days. There are only two things which can make a difference to governance. Enact stricter laws. Hold competitive examinations for those who want to enter politics.

Virendra Narain Prasad,

Chennai