Re: In 11Years -11PDs : Should IAS Officers Rule SACS?

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re: /message/10644

I find the title of this post very interesting.  I am not sure if IAS officers

are meant to " Rule " us or are they to " manage " ?  If the impression to NGO and

CBOs is that IAS officers 'rule' SACS then the situation is pretty serious for

the HIV and AIDS programme in India.

We need managers and technocrats to 'manage; the programme not 'rule'.  And i

agree the people who lead HIV and AIDS programme need to be more accountable and

stable in their jobs.

Warm Regards,

Rajiv

Rajiv Dua

E-MAIL: <rajivdua@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re: /message/10644

It is interesting to observe that the PDs have worked for 2 days, 8 months, 10

months and so on.

In this scenario, how does one expect the PDs to understand the project with the

right aptitude?

SACS is a social project and not an economic project like Air India where too

the disease is the same!

Good luck to SACS.

Prem Kumar

E-MAIL: <dr.r.sweetypremkumar@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Re: /message/10644

I am glad that Hari Singh took time off to collect this information and present

it nicely.This is the state of affairs in many State AIDS

Societies and nobody seems to bother.

There are contrasting scenarios between states in the same country which is also

directly related to their performance in AIDS response.

Good governance, among several other factors,is a critical determinant

in AIDS response. The sooner the states in India realize this, the

better for the programme.

Prasada Rao

J.V.R Prasada Rao

Director

Regional Support Team, Asia and the Pacific

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

UNAIDS

Phone number: + 66 (0) 2288 1490

Fax number: + 66 (0) 2288 1092

Internet: www.unaids.org

e-mail: <raojvrp@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re: /message/10644

Mr Hari Singh  raised a very important question. The technical experience and

qualification of an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) staff to run State AIDS

Control Societies (SACS) and the negative consequences of IAS staff ‘Ruling’

HIV response.

 

Let me share my experience of working with IAS officers who are lording over HIV

response.

 

I worked with IAS officers in two settings. In Governmental and in Non

Governmental settings  during my 11 years experience in HIV/AIDS field.

 

Earlier, I was working as Dy. Director in State AIDS Control Society of

Rajasthan State. In that capacity,  I was instrumental and entrusted the job to

get registered Rajasthan State AIDS Control Society (RSACS) as a society  way

back in  1998.

 

In Rajasthan before NACP-2 the post of Director (AIDS) was created and thus a

medial  doctor was enjoying this position.

 

As per NACO guidelines  an IAS of Special Secretary rank should be the Project

Director (PD) and Member Secretary in big states like Rajasthan.

When Memorandum of RSACS was about to finalized and signed by the then

secretary, I made an humble request to then Special Secretary and suggested him

that without technical support it would be difficult for him  to run the society

which is exclusively working for health and the issue like HIV/AIDS was very

much stigmatized and people were not ready to except that HIV does not spread by

touching.

I suggested special secretary to designate Director (AIDS) as Member and

Additional Project Director.

 

The special secretary convinced about this aspect and suggested to make

necessary changes, and thus we made necessary changes in relevant pages

mentioning  Director (AIDS) as Additional Project Director.

 

Finally it was approved and society was got registered. Later on as usual

special secretary was burdened with work and Project Director post was handed

over to Director (AIDS).

 

Since then the medical doctors are working efficiently on the post of PD RSACS

from last one decade. I worked in the SACS for almost five years and attended

almost all meetings and workshops organized by NACO independently or with PD.

Rajasthan was always stood in first 10 states in my opinion. The then PD NACO

and other officers of NACO visited state several time during my tenure and

appreciate the work progress.

 

However RSACS was enjoying the dynamism of IAS in administration and supervision

as Departmental head and Chair man of society. So it was a good synergy with in

society which is still continuing.

 

My experience in the 2nd setting was that of NGO sector.

I took voluntary retirement in the year 2003 and joined an Indian arm of

International Organization and worked with them for more than five years.

The first management of this Indian arm was entrusted to an AIDS

activist/Manager. Initially it was working well and more than 70 staff was

having working as family it was golden days. I have observed a human touch, hard

work and commitment towards the cause and mission of organization within staff.

Large number of Govt and Non Govt Projects were successfully implemented.

Organization expanded and reached to almost all 35 states of India.

 

But, due to certain internal administrative reasons, the leadership was changed.

Within six month the management was handed over to non AIDS activist and young

person’s team and then shifted to the persons having legal and financial back

ground and finally to a team of retired IAS officers

 

The highlight of this once prestigious international organization's India

experience was that of getting entangled in litigation and organizational

turmoil.

Currently the organization is functioning -limited to few states. Even the name

of this prestigious international organizations is also modified. 

Time has come, to call for changes in HIV program management styles in India.

HIV response should be managed by trained, experienced and qualified

professionals, recruited through an open selection process based on merit.

 

Just being an adminstrative officer should not be the only qualification to head

HIV response at implementation level .

Dr. Avdhesh Gupta

Medical Director and CEO

Ashray-Society for Health and Empowerment-

Jaipur, Rajasthan

e-mail: <avdnew@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

 

Re: /message/10644

One year before, this was the situation of Orissa State AIDS Control Society

also. OSACS seen 3 PDs in 6 months. Then the current PD came and stabilised the

situation. He is there for almost two years.

Although he is not an IAS, a senior Orissa Administrative Officer, but what I

have seen is, he is not " ruling " but " managing " the project very well. Well, I

am not here to praise anyone or commenting on anybody's performance but what I

want to say is that, there are some PDs who are very good " managers " rather say

" professional " who work in a " project " mode.

 

Not enough number of IAS officers are available to reain in charge of one

office. You see, many would be handling MDs of NRHM, Health Secretary and also

the PD of SACS. In Orissa, there are acute shorteges of IAS officers and many

are prefering central deputation, helping the situation to worsen further.

No one wants to come on a deputed post as " powers " and " prestige " are also

condensed to such project posts. State cader officers could also be posted to

such post but I suppose they become too old to manage the project in a

" youthful " manner.

I mean the dynamism and the kind of fast decision making such posts need,

rarely any state cader officer come up to such level at such an age, where they

hardly have a few years before their retirement.

 

I belive, DG NACO has had sincere initiatives to deal with the state Govts to

depute full time IAS officer to the post of PD, SACS. She had taken up such

steps during the launch of NACP-III. Although, the administration part of SACS

is the subject of the concerned state, it is high time a sincere advocacy is

needed among top bureaucracy and political parties at the stat level.

 

If IAS officers can come and manage UN programs well, why not the job of PD,

SACS ??

 

with high regards,

 

Manoj Kandher

New Delhi

e-mail: <manoj_kandher15@...>