GM Friend,
The Administrative Reforms Commission worked hard to prepare its 1970 report in post-Independent India.
Major Administrative Reforms In India - Throughout the world efforts have been made to pross the ten and quality of wal and or method and experimentation which has administration However, since the beginning of this Coury, management has he treated scientifically and heth public administration and private admi nistration have been studied as sciences in order to bring about improvement in them.
In due course many of the recommendations of this Comission have been implemented.
But it cannot be claimed that public administration has been reorganised along scientific lines even today.
The need for improvement of administration reformes in India has been recognised and emph- asised by successive governments, but it is doubtful whether drastic changes in the structure and functions of public administration have ever been effected in India.
In reality, even the five-year plans have emphasised the importance of preparing the government apparatus in order to get the best results from the planning process.
Describe the administrative reforms in India
Different Methods of administrative Improvement: Tcientific of Administration management has made use of
- time and motion study,
- methods- time-measurement,
- O & M,
- work study,
- methods study,
- organisation analysis,
- operations research and the like.
Work study is the practise of applying in-depth analysis of work to increase productivity.
Methods study is the systematic recording, analysis and critical examination of existing and proposed ways of doing work and development of easier and more productive methods.
Work measuring is required for the systematic improvement of work performance.
There are various methods for calculating work.
Organization analysis seeks to critically examine the organisation with the goal of locating flaws and fixing them.
An organisatten bas to analysed from the point of view of long term planning and objectives.
The tools of organation an are
- organisation planning,
- organization short,
- job specification,
- organisation manual,
- duty chart,
- procedural chart,
- organisation training etc.
Operations research is a new branch of cence that came into existence during World War II.
Its initial application was in the fold of military science.
But now this mathema wal tool has been applied to other branches of knowledge such as international relations, administration and the like.
Operations research emphasises the whole problem, approach and enables us to work out the opti mum conditions of operation or working.
Administrative reforms in India since Independance
O&M
The abbreviation stands for organisation and methods, although it has also been given another wider expansion in the form of 'organisation and management.
O & M is a branch of know ledge which studies the organisation of public bodies and their office procedures with a view of improving their structures and functions.
It is to be noted that O&M is the internal arrangement of an office to improve its working.
External reorganisation of adminis- tration which may be dealt with and recom mended by commission and committees, is outside the scope of O & M.
O& M may be considered not only as a management tool but also as a management service since it actually helps the managers, auditors etc. to improve their own working.
Needs for administrative reforms in India
Need: It is clear that government departments need to have an O&M section.
Public administration should always be improved, both inside and from outside the department.
The typical arrange ment for improvement from inside is O & M.
It is desirble to have separate O&M personnel, although they may belong to the same department.
This is because the senior officials entrusted with O&M as part of their duty may not have the time, independence and experience required to produce effective recommendations.
O&M helps the Government to effect improvement in administration periodi- cally.
The Government departments have also to change with time and if this change comes about in a scientific manner, it is all the more welcome.
O&M units gather a plethora of data on how a department operates.
This information will be useful as a store-house of information and to draw up plans for new departments and undertakings.
Nature of O&M:
O&M should not be considered as a substitute for alround im provement in management.
It is merely one among the organisations working to bring about change.
O & M function should be seen as a service to the Government departments rather than as an imposition to be tolerated.
The role of O & M units is always advisory and so it is for the government and the departmental head to decide which of its recommendations will be implemented in practice.
It should be under- stood that O & M unit is not a fault-finding committee.
The working of the O & M unit should be such as to inspire interest and coat- dence in the departmental staff.
Administrative reforms commission in India
Objectives of O & M:
O&M is expected ultimately to assist line officials in improving management.
It is anticipated that doing so will assist
- speed up operations,
- enhance organisation,
- simplify processes,
- save money,
- and cut costs.
In order to achieve muese aims, O & M may resort to research and develop- ment, training investigation, publication, dis- emination of information etc.
The important techniques used by O & M unit are survey of different kinds, inspection, forms control and file operations.
Results:
O & M units have been set up in the Central and State Governments.
The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms of the Union Government coordi- nates activities of O & M units of different departments.
A Deputy Secretary's duties may include being assigned to O & M in various Central Ministries.
At the instance of O & M division, some more training courses for government employees have been organised since 1959. On- the-job training also has been taken up at the instance of the O & M division.
However, it is seen that the Government does not take O & M very seriously.
Conclusion :-
It is said that vested interests of higher officials stand in the way of carrying out all major administrative reforms in India recommended by O & M units.
