Think creative: PM to babus

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who asked his bureaucrats to cut the red tape, said it was time the officialdom responded creatively to the challenges of governance.

The prime minister���s assertion is significant as the government and its slow decision-making process are seen as the biggest impediment in realising the country���s growth potential. Although successive regimes have been making efforts to change the pace, the entrenched bureaucracy has been making things difficult. Mr Singh has been maintaining that bureaucrats must do more to address public dissatisfaction and instill confidence in people.

In the interaction with his officials, the prime minister discussed the agenda of the government and ways of improving the delivery system. He told his audience that in sectors like education, health and employment generation, the challenge was one of effective and equitable delivery of public services.

A press release issued by the PMO said the follow up measures listed to be initiated within the first 100 days and the pending reform of regulatory institutions in the areas of health and education were discussed. ���The prime minister reiterated the need to think creatively on the agenda put forward by the government and stressed on the need to be guided by the watchwords of equity, innovation and public accountability in the work of the office,��� the release said.