The government is preparing to promote private competition in public services that interface with the public and the customers. It has accepted a recommendation of the Administrative Reforms Commission on opening up these ''monopolistic'' services bogged down by ''departmental hegemony''
Most of us are trained from the start to assume that getting work done in a 'Sakari' office is a stressful and long drawn out process. Being pushed from one counter to the next, sent from one official to another for the payment of bills, procuring or renewing a license and a range of other odd jobs.
The government's move to promote private competition in these services is expected to bring down levels of corruption. The increased participation of private companies will bring about a change in the pace of work. Practices like red tapism and bribery as expected to be curbed as the administration process will have better infrastructure and more man power to officiate.
A recent meeting of the Core Group on Administrative Reforms chaired by the cabinet secretary took the crucial decision and the department of administrative reforms and public grievances has already issued directives to central ministries and state governments to formulate policies.
In its report, ''Ethics in Governance'', the ARC has recommended: ''Every ministry/department may undertake immediate exercise to identify areas where the existing 'monopoly of functions' can be tempered with competition. A similar exercise may be done at the level of state governments and local bodies.
The areas where such openings up will be allowed are yet to be ascertained , public services related to transport offices,the electricity department and the utility bill collection system will be included.
The government wants the ''opening up'' to progress in a time bound manner, with quarterly reports to the department on the status of work. It has directed that the first report for the July - September period be sent to the department by October 10.
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