The Delhi Government has ordered a ‘working group’ of district magistrates to assess the functioning of, report on, and ensure convergence between different departments in the national capital. The groups have also been empowered to “call meetings with officers of the department concerned” and submit a detailed report with proposals and recommendations by October 5.
Sources pointed out that the order coincided with the first meeting between newly sworn-in Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and her Council of Ministers and civil servants heading government departments during which both sides are said to have announced they would function as a cohesive unit.
The move has ruffled feathers in the bureaucracy, with questions being raised about the feasibility of the exercise which “places junior district officials above senior officers”. “It is an odd situation, to say the least, where junior IAS officers with less experience – from AGMUT (Central cadre) batches 2011 to as recent as 2019 – of the service have been asked to make recommendations on better functioning to senior officials who have been heading government departments, in most cases, for longer tenures than they have been IAS officers,” a senior official said.
As per the order, issued by the office of the divisional commissioner on Tuesday, 10 district magistrates will prepare “actionable recommendations” and “concrete proposals” and identify rules where the role of the Revenue Department functionaries has been envisaged.
According to the order, the aim was to “strengthen the functioning and operations of the Revenue Department, facilitate better convergence of work, schemes and service delivery involving multiple agencies and foster greater inter-departmental coordination at the field level…”
Four separate working groups of Delhi DMs, the order added, were being created for “detailed examination and preparation of cogent proposals”.
As per the order, the Delhi DMs have been tasked with submitting detailed reports “with actionable recommendations” and “concrete proposals” related to the efficient functioning of 17 important government departments, including transport, health, education and environment as well as civic bodies such as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
Functions of working groups
According to the order, the groups are to “undertake a comprehensive and exhaustive examination of all the Laws/Acts/Statutes/Rules and the various schemes etc which are currently being enforced/implemented by the Departments concerned.”
They will also “identify all the clauses/provisions/sections of the existing laws/statutes/rules” where the role of Revenue Department officials such as DMs, SDMs, Tehsildars and other revenue functionaries “is envisaged and the present status in the field” apart from areas and sections under where it “can be inserted for enhanced efficiencies…”
“Working Groups will also identify other areas of convergence and synergy where the DMs can play a critical catalytic role in facilitating greater inter-departmental coordination and inter-agency cooperation to ensure enhanced efficiencies and better service delivery at the cutting edge…” the order stated. .
Working groups named
Ravi Jha, DM (New Delhi), and Mekala Chaitanya Prasad, DM (South) — Transport, Social Welfare, Women & Child Development and Labor departments.
G Sudhakar, DM (Central) and Yash Chaudhary, DM (North) — Health & Family Welfare, CATS, Environment & Forests, DPCC and DUSIB
Dr Kinny Singh, DM (West), Rishita Gupta, DM (Shahdara), and Ankita Anand, DM (North-West) — MCD, the NDMC, the Delhi Jal Board, the Public Works Department and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department
Veditha Reddy, DM (North-East), Amol Srivastava, DM (East) and Lakshay Singhal, DM (South-West) — Excise, Education, Food & Supplies and Industry