Editorial
Habit dies hard
Errant demand on project vehicle
The director of a project for Secondary Education Quality Improvement, one that is financed by the Asian Development Bank(ADB), was, it is learnt, admonished by education secretary on Sunday after he had failed to provide a vehicle for state minister for education. It is appalling that the project director had to face the ordeal in spite of his having informed the secretary in writing that a clear ADB directive governing the use of project vehicle forbade it. Moreover, there was an audit objection pertaining to use of a project vehicle placed under the ministry before this request was made. The incident has to be taken note of, for obvious reasons. In the none-too-distant past, a huge number of project vehicles were found 'missing' and that made sensational news. The unaccounted-for vehicles were indicative of how government functionaries were using, misusing to be precise, project vehicles. These were purchased with project money coming from donor agencies; and in some cases, highly expensive vehicles were purchased for no apparent good reason except perhaps to keep top functionaries in good humour. They got into the habit of using them as something of a prerogative. What all these meant were waste of project money at the expense of public good and development partners' goodwill. It definitely impinged on financial discipline. We are talking of a bigger principle here, one that can only be trifled with, to the detriment of the development process. The government, hopefully, is seized of the issue, and the rules of transport use will have to be given teeth and applied strictly in public interest. The stir that the 'missing vehicles' created should not be allowed to die down. The government has to address the problem in right earnest and stop any abuse of project vehicles by top functionaries, including ministers, once and for all.
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