<div><em>Fear of CBI, apprehension about political masters and uncertainty about PMO continue to plague bureaucrats. <strong>Suchetana Ray</strong> reports</em></div><div> </div><div>Policy paralysis is a word that virtually came to define the UPA II regime, especially from 2012 till their last days in office in 2014. Experts attributed the paralysis to the fear among bureaucrats over action by anti-corruption agencies as well as aimless political bosses in ministries getting caught in a slew of scams. Many thought a change in regime will magically change the situation. But senior bureaucrats say the situation on the ground shows that there has been little or no change; the fear of the CBI still looms large. The bureaucrats continue to be apprehensive about their ministerial masters and of course there is uncertainty about what the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) wants! </div><div> </div><div>To illustrate the state of bureaucracy in the finance ministry, a top official in North Block points towards the pending files on the residual stake sale in Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) and Balco. Finance Ministry is keen to sell its remaining 29.5 per cent stake in Hindustan Zinc and 49 per cent stake in Balco. The stake in these erstwhile state-owned companies was sold to Vedanta in 2002-03. North Block expects to rake in about Rs 20,000 crore from offloading its stake in both these companies, money that finance ministry wants as its disinvestment programme hasn’t really got the cash registers jingling. But top officials in the ministry say that bureaucrats in the Disinvesment Department under the Finance Ministry is in no mood to touch the file. “In fact, the former Disinvestment Secretary even refused to sign the minutes of meeting, held to discuss the way forward for Hindustan Zinc and Balco.” Even the nodal ministry of Mines is reluctant to take a decision on the matter. The fear is of a CBI action, years after the matter was decided upon. </div><div> </div><div>The HZL case is stuck in the Supreme Court after a body called the National Confederation of Officers’ Associations of Central Public Sector Undertakings filed a PIL last year challenging the proposed disinvestment, saying the decision was “irrational, illogical, illegal, unreasonable, malafide and arbitrary”. Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also looking into suspected irregularities in the original 2002 stake sale of HZL to Vedanta. Balco, meanwhile has been stuck as there have been some difficulties in valuing the Centre’s stake in the unlisted company. “Unless the Government decides to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act (PoCA), officials will not take a definitive role in the HZL matter,” explains a top official in the know of the entire matter. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has time and again spoken on the need to amend PoCA, but so far the Government has not been able to table the amendments in the Parliament. One of the amendments seeks to differentiate between an act of corruption committed knowingly for “intentional enrichment”, and any irregularity committed unknowingly or without mala fide intent. </div><div> </div><div>The budgeted disinvestment target for the year is Rs 69,500 crore, out of which Rs 41,000 crore is expected to come from minority stake sales in listed PSUs, and Rs 28,500 crore is expected from strategic sale in unviable government assets. Although not part of this year's plans, the HZL-Balco residual stake sale could fetch more than Rs 20,000 crore and go a long way in meeting the ambitious target.</div><div> </div><div>But HZL and Balco are not the only examples of pending and piling files on desks of top bureaucrats. The overarching fear of the PMO has also had its share in inaction of officials, however, contradictory it might sound. Recently, the PMO directed the NHAI to complete the Delhi-Jaipur Highway by the end of October, on a priority basis with special attention to deadline. Sources point out that the PMO was oblivious to the fact that land acquisition is pending at 3 locations but no one had the courage to bring this to the attention of PM Modi or his men. So the file say sources is lying idle and will continue to do so.</div><div> </div><div>Examples of lack of direction from political bosses are also plenty. Senior officials point out how despite the third coal block auction auction successfully ending in mid-August no deed transfer for any block has taken place so far. The reason: the Government is yet to notify an adjudicator for the purpose. </div><div> </div><div> </div>
