The cabinet approval for recruitment of 12th standard or diploma holders as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Ministers is a retrograde step. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant states that these relaxations in OSD recruitment are made at the request of Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlkear, Solid Waste Management Minister Michael Lobo and Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate.
While the big talk of administration revolves around senior civil officers, the role of the OSD is challenging in any political environment.
An officer on special duty is a crucial link between the minister and the government offices. He not only advises the ministers on matters related to the portfolio held but plays a crucial and multi-dimensional role of connecting with various other aspects, sometimes even beyond the scope of the ministry. Hence a person at this level should be one with concentrated viewpoints on policy issues and familiar with allied topics.
If we may recall in 2017, Manohar Parrikar during his tenure as CM had made post-graduation from a recognized educational institute as a mandatory qualification for candidates for OSD post. He had maintained there would be no relaxation in this matter and had empowered the department of personnel to decide on the selection procedure.
Government employees or bureaucrats are ideally suited for the post of the OSD since they are familiar with the internals of functioning and are in a far better position to liaison between the minister concerned and various offices. However, the very objective of having an OSD has assumed a different meaning in recent times with political appointees making their way to the chair. There are compromises made because persons with absolutely no understanding of government functioning have been appointed in advisory positions. It is bizarre to imagine that a high-ranking minister with decades of political experience is looking forward to advice from a novice.
Or should we look at it the other way? Why would a minister compromise and settle for a downgraded version of an OSD? The trend in recent times may be to have political appointees on board, but there is a catch there. Some of such appointees have attained notoriety for being extortionists and are known to be fixing deals on behalf of ministers. These shady jobs require a different set of skills with qualification and other requirements taking a back seat.
By downgrading the qualification criteria, the chief minister has allowed ministers to compromise and push in their favourites without giving any thought to their functionality. Given this background, the move defeats the very purpose of having an OSD and encourages a different breed of officers. The chief minister should not allow such concessions to accommodate ministers, especially when records paint a grim picture. It’s time the CM stamps his authority rather than meekly surrendering to such unreasonable demands.
