So many on special duty?

The astounding figure of more than five hundred officers of different ministries currently as OSD, some whom have been in this state of suspended animation, for ten years, demonstrates, the complete apathy to the need for harnessing the trained manpower available to the government, as well the propensity to overlook the need for capacity building for good governance. The opportunity cost incurred by this is incalculable.

This has dealt governance a severe body blow while the government has preferred to take a back seat, having brought this state upon itself, largely motivated by political considerations. The statistics show that 'OSD' has become a device used by governments primarily to keep 'unwanted' government servants at arms length. At the same time many of the OSD are those who have been promoted out of turn, outside an existing vacancy. For them it's perhaps a welcome sinecure.

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There is very little doubt that this situation emerges from entirely political rather than administrative considerations. Perceptions about public servants as belonging to a different political hue or inclined towards a different philosophy than that which incumbents hold, incite this type of action.

The corollary question that emerges is, since these officers are not surplus to the requirements of the establishment, then there obviously are positions that are vacant, and the vacant position, if one were to go by the figures appearing in the said report, is in excess of five hundred. Mind boggling situation indeed?

No government can allow an administrative expedient to be exploited for political purpose. Apart from a being a huge waste of, and burden on, the public exchequer, this has a very negative impact on the entire cadre of civil servants that can only have harmful effect on governance as a whole.

The government must address the situation with utmost speed.