The AP government has been spending crores for hiring consultants
The guided cave tour promised to take us 200 feet underground through the limestone caverns of the Burren region. Bags dropped, helmets strapped on, we began with a dizzying descent down what seemed like a lot of stairs (250, since you ask). Bending
Hyderabad: The AP government which is struggling with a Rs 17,000 crore deficit has been spending crores for hiring consultants.
From Price Water House Coopers which was appointed as the knowledge provider consultant for Naidu’s tour to Japan and Singapore, McKinsey for the capital’s skyscrapers, the Singapore government to build the capital to private consultants to prepare socio-economic plans and sell the seized red-sanders and plan Godavari Pushkaralu celebrations the Naidu government is banking on consultants.
A senior official in the irrigation department said the government has hired the National Institute of Hydrology, as a consultant for carrying out ‘Project wise water availability and integrated operation analysis of major projects in Krishna Basin.’ This was done as per the advise of senior counsel A.K. Ganguly who is fighting the water share case of AP in the SC and before the Krishna tribunal.
The latest is the revenue department hiring the Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS) to simplify revenue Acts. Deputy CM K.E. Krishna Murthy said that for reforming the revenue services they have given the contract to CIPS to study the century-old Revenue Act and suggest reforms. CIPS will tour all 13 districts and consult farmers elected representatives and take their feedback on revenue services and Act provisions. Based on their feedback it will suggest changes and submit its report to the government.
Some of the provisions in 100-year old Revenue Act have become obsolete. Then there are words like Adangal, Azmayashi, Pahani to name a few introduced during the Nizam era. The people in rural AP do not understand these words.
"The CIPS will suggest simple words that can be understood by farmers, and they would be included in place of the difficult words or revenue lingo which the common man does not understand," Krishna Murthy said and added that the fee to be paid to CIPS is yet to be finalised.
The government has also decided to hire global consultants to develop land in the capital city. Tenders would be invited shortly. When contacted, Dr Parakala Prabhakar, advisor (communications) told this correspondent that the government is not a specialist. The government needs domain experts who are aware of best practices. The consultancies have people who have worked with UN and are known for their expertise.
"If AP government is spending money on consultants it obviously is getting service worth more than it. A good detailed project report prepared by consultants will help the AP government in leveraging funds from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other international and national agencies and the Centre. Moreover, many of the projects taken up under funding from World Bank or ADB will have an inbuilt clause for hiring expert consultancies," he added.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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