Administrative Reforms Commission

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On 18 august 2016, VS Achudananthan took charge as the chairman of the 4th Administrative Reforms Commission after the formation of the Kerala State. Because of health issues he resigned from the post on 31st January 2021. Along with him, CP Nair and Neela Gangadaran, both of them former Chief Secretaries, were the other members of the Commission. The Commission put forth the proposals that would help the services, administrative systems and relief programmes reach the people of the lowest strata. The commission tried to decide the subject for study and subject them one by one to detailed study.

All the former Administrative reforms Commissions usually had had their reports presented by the closure of the period of tenure.  So, the final reports presented by the former Administrative reforms Commissions could not interfere in the implementation or, to give directions to the implementations of the presented reports. This too had been studied and found out by the Administrative Reforms Commission chaired by VS. In addition to its own study reports, the Commission studied the extent of implementation of the study reports presented by the earlier Administrative Reforms Commissions. In the very first meeting of the Administrative Reforms Commission it was decided that, instead of following the old practice as stated above, reports must be submitted promptly to the government as the studies get completed on the respective areas and as the stage of implementation of such reports that should be monitored by the Commission without fail. Within this time, 13 reports are submitted to the government. By these report having submitted, all the studies and recommendations with regard to the subject referred to the Commission are accomplished.

The state vigilance reforms, government employees' working ability enhancement, problems and solutions regarding the execution of laws of welfare for the weak sections of the people, the reforms regarding state civil service officers, the problems and solutions regarding the people centred services, problems and solutions regarding the implementation of welfare laws, development and maintenance of basic facilities, sustained development-financial issues, Ombudsman institutions and red redressal of complaints, e-governance etc. are the other submitted reports. These reports were prepared through symposiums, discussions with the prominent personalities in the respective arena andstate-wide public hearings. Discussions were given in these reports for the enhancement of the efficiency of the state civil service and for making the services given by the government efficacious. The Commission reports have comprehensively dealt with the activities and limitations of various Welfare Funds in the whole state and have proposed remedial solutions. The Commission had given exemplary recommendations for enhancing the efficiency of the civil service. The first report had recommended that instead of the present vigilance system, a Vigilance Commission must be formed. The second report had recommended that those who enter civil services must be trained through a systemized training process.  The third report had underlined the recommendation that the administrative bodies of the Children's welfare board, Juvenile Board must be reconstituted every third year. The investigation officers in pocso cases must get the statements of the victims before registering the case. The functioning of the Juvenile Board, the Children's welfare board, the Nirbhaya homes, Nirbhaya Committees etc  must be reviewed from time to time. Special courts must be constituted to try the cases of domestic atrocities against women. In all the police stations the list of senior citizens must be prepared. The state level advisory body must be immediately constituted as per the directions of the law made in 2016. As per the recommendations in the Administrative Reforms Report, in government offices, in case an official is absent, the service that has to be obtained from that official must not be denied. Alternate arrangement for uninterrupted delivery of service must be arranged for. It continues that the biometric system has to be implemented in government offices in order to ensure attendance. The movement register has to be implemented to regulate movements of the government employees. The report stipulates that the amendments of the special rules regarding the service and emoluments of the government employees must be commenced at the most within one year. The report recommended the following: 'In order to expedite the disbursement of the salaries and other emoluments if the government employees, the modern system called 'Spark' has to be put into effect. The human resources of the employees have to be included into the pay-rule-package in order to develop it. Videoconferencing must be widely resorted to reduce the on duty travelling expenses of the employees.  Annual medical checkup for the employees must be strictly adhered to.'

The Report regarding the People Centered services gave the following recommendations: A unified certificate issuing system must be established in government offices. A system of self attestation of applications also must be established. The receipts given in acknowledgement of applications and petitions must carry specific dates on or before which remedial effects will happen.

The sixth report emphasises the live issues of the fishermen. The Fishermen welfare act 1985 must be amended to effectively include all the workers in the whole arena of fishing and associated industry. Immediate welfare measures must be implemented to uplift the fishermen to the mainstream of the society. The early warning system to notify precautions regarding natural calamities must be made more effective.

This report carries another important recommendation that 'The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006' must be fully implemented with immediate effect.

The seventh report has strongly recommended that Tamilnadu model legislation must be made in order to ensure the transparency of tenders. Preferences must be for mending and maintaining the existing governmental assets, not for constructing new ones. Urgent master plan must be drawn for the development of basic infrastructure. Task force must be constituted in order to discrete the incomplete and abandoned projects. 

Recommendations for the modernisation of the Krishibhavans and the data banks regarding farmers, for the watershed  developmental plans, for extended farming in the wasteland in the leadership of the local self government bodies, effective deployment of the services of VEOs and Health Inspectors in the process of waste disposal by making them the principal responsible persons of the 'Suchitwa mission'.

The 9th report suggests that a State Audit Commission should be constituted with quasi - judicial powers. This report recommends that the government offices must run under E-governance. The Administrative Reforms Commision, that has examined various kinds of puzzles, has finished and submitted all the 13 reports that it had been asked for.