Developing a well-rounded feedback mechanism is key to good governance and public administration. This seems to have been the reason behind Rajasthan Chief Secretary V. Srinivas embarking on an ‘open door policy’ for officers working under him. He has fixed three days—Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday—(between 10 and 10:30) for open discussion with subordinates without any predecided agenda.
Any officer working in the secretariat, districts, or outside may visit the chief secretary’s office and share their feedback and concerns without any prior appointment.
Srinivas deserves appreciation for his pragmatic decision, as opening up for feedback from subordinates will help develop a system that is more open, more practical, and more accountable. But more than this, it serves in sending a big message that the head of the state bureaucracy is easily accessible. Lack of accessibility often comes in the way of good governance and has been a major cause of concern gnawing at the roots of Indian bureaucracy.
This gesture may look small, but the message it carries is big, as it may exert moral pressure on other senior IAS officers to adopt a similar open-door policy for their subordinates, giving birth to a robust feedback mechanism in the state.
Encouraging open communication and exchanging views and concerns without fear of reprisal is at any time a highly commendable move. Further, it gives an idea of how the new Chief Secretary is going to run the show, as it reflects Srinivas’s receptiveness to new ideas and feedback from fellow officers working in the field. This will go a long way in establishing a transparent bureaucratic setup in the state.
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