Tag: administration

Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance

One of the most fundamental and important aspects of the human experience is our ability to sense emotions. Without it, our existence would be one-dimensional and nowhere as rich and dynamic as it is. We feel joy and euphoria when we achieve something, sadness when we lose it, and disappointment when things don’t go our way. All of these are manifestations of the different emotions we experience.

NATURE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

The essence of emotional intelligence as envisioned by Goleman can be summarized as follows;
It is the ability to control the emotions of others, including groups, individuals and closed people. It is a process of knowing what is good or bad and how to go from bad to good. It is susceptible to development or damage as a result of one’s life experiences. It is not genetically fixed, rather it is widely learned and continues to develop throughout life. It develops with age and experience as a person moves from childhood to adulthood. Both men and women have a personal profile of strengths and weaknesses in emotional intelligence abilities. Women tend to be stronger in skills based on empathy and social skills, while men do better in skills based on self-regulation.

BENEFITS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

EI has implications for many types of our lives, from personal relationships to professional settings. Some of the benefits are as follows;
Allows individuals to harness not only thinking skills but also the information and power that emotions bring. Take a realistic and realistic view of emotions as opposed to traditional notions that encourage unhealthy emotional suppression. Facilitate understanding of self and others beyond superficial information. Encourage and enable empathy to the quality of interpersonal interactions
It adds a competitive advantage over mere cognitive intelligence and technical skill so that individuals can pursue excellence and success using a wide range of intelligences. Allows individuals to control their emotions. This means that a person can intensely feel desired emotions (e.g. joy, love, etc.) and avoid unwanted emotions like anger, jealousy, etc.

Application of emotional intelligence in administration and governance

Many administrative staff are extremely talented, exceptionally intelligent and have very high IQs. They excel in computer science, science, and math. But they have difficulty establishing social relationships. Many of them are rebellious and ruthless in their reactions to the outside world. They have little or no feelings for the people around them. They feel physiologically uncooperative in their relationships and lack social kindness or even a personal social life.

People with high emotional intelligence know how to listen to their feelings and control their intensity so that they are not influenced by others. Emotionally intelligent people know how to manage troublesome emotions. Emotionally intelligent people feel the effects of their emotions on others. People with emotional intelligence know how to use their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. Emotionally intelligent people listen to other people’s feelings and can relate to them. Emotionally intelligent people act ethically and build trust through honesty and consistency. In the field of management and operations, emotional intelligence includes 5 main elements of emotional intelligence: Self awareness. Self-regulating. Motivation. Empathy. Social ability. These emotional intelligence skills are essential for successful leadership. Self-awareness and agency skills for accurate and confident self-assessment help emotionally intelligent decision-makers determine their appropriate role in the decision-making process (Goleman, 2001). Self-management and its behavioral components such as self-control, reliability, conscientiousness, adaptability, willingness to succeed, and initiative are important emotional intelligence skills for decision makers. decisions (Goleman, 2001). As an administrator and leader, you must manage these factors. 1. Self-Awareness: If people are self-aware, they always know how their feelings and emotions affect those around them. Perceiving themselves in an administrative or leadership position also means having a clear picture of their strengths and weaknesses.

2. Self-regulation: Managers and leaders who succeed in self-regulation do nothing to verbally attack others, make hasty or emotional decisions, stereotype people, or hurt others. harm their value. Self-regulation is about maintaining control. This element of emotional intelligence also implies the flexibility and commitment of directors and leaders to personal accountability. To improve his or her self-regulation, the person must Know the values. Take responsibility yourself. Practice calm.

3. Motivation: Directors and leaders are motivated to work consistently to achieve their goals. And they have extremely high standards for the quality of their work. Administrators can improve motivation by following the method: Double-check why they perform certain behaviors. Make sure their goal statements stay fresh and energized (goal setting). Know where they are. Let’s hope and find something good: Motivated leaders are optimistic no matter what they’re up against. Adopting this mindset can take some practice, but it’s well worth it.

4. Empathy: Empathy is essential to running a successful team or organization. Empathetic directors and leaders have the ability to put themselves in the shoes of others. They support and develop their team members, challenge those who act unfairly, provide constructive feedback, and listen to those in need

. 5. Social skills: Directors and employees should develop social skills. People who do well in this element of emotional intelligence are excellent communicators. They are equally open to bad news as well as good, and they are adept at getting their team to support them and get excited about a new task or project. Managers with good social skills are also good at managing change and skillfully resolving conflicts.

Panchayati Raj

The term “Panchayati Raj” in India signifies the system of rural local self-government. It has been established in all the systems of India by the Acts of the state legislative to build democracy at the grass root level. It is ensured with rural development. It was constitutional through 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992.

Ø A three-tier structure of Indian administration for rural development is called panchayati Raj. The aim of the panchayati Raj is to develop local self government in districts, zones and villages.

Ø Rural development is one of the main objectives of panchayati Raj and this has been established in all states of India except Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram. In all union territories except Delhi and certain other areas. These areas include:-

a) The scheduled areas and the tribal areas in the states.

b) The hill area of Manipur for which a district council exists and

c) Darjeeling district of West Bengal for which Darjeeling Gorkha Hill council exists.

Evolution of Panchayati Raj

Ø The panchayati system in India is not purely a post-independence phenomenon. In fact, the dominant political institution in rural India has been the village panchayat for centuries. In ancient India, panchayat were usually elected councils with executive and judicial powers.

Ø The evolution of the Panchayati Raj system, however, got a trip after the attainment of independence after the drafting of the constitution. The constitution of India in Article 40 enjoined, The state shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government.

Ø There were member of committees appointed by the government of India to study the implementation of self-government at the rural level and also recommend steps in achieving this goal.

Ø The committee appointed are as follows:-

a) Balwant Rai Mehta Committee

b) Ashok Mehta Committee

c) G V K Rao Committee

d) LM Singvi committee

A. Balwant Rai Mehta Committee and Panchayati Raj

The committee was appointed in 1957, to examine and suggest measures for better working of the community development programme and the national extensions services. The committee suggested the establishment of a democratic decentralised local government which came to be known as panchayati Raj.

Recommendations by the Committee

Ø Three tier panchayati raj system: Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad.

Ø Directly elected representatives to constitute the gram panchayat and indirectly elected representative to constitute the panchyat samiti and zila parishad.

Ø Planning and development are the primary objectives of the panchayati raj system.

Ø Panchayat Samiti should be the executive body and zila parishad will act as the advisory and supervisory body.

Ø District collector to be made the chairman of the Zila Parishad

Ø It also requested for provisioning resources so as to help them discharge their duties and responsibilities.

v The Balwant Rai Mehta committee further revitalised the development of panchayati in the country, the report recommended that the panchayati raj institutions can play a substantial role in community development programmes throughout the country.

v The objectives of the panchyat, thus was the democratic decentralisation through the effective participation of locals with the help of well-planned programme. Even then prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, defended the panchyat system by saying, “authority and power to the panchayats”.

B. Ashok Mehta committee and Panchayati Raj

Ø The committee was appointed in 1977 to suggest measures to revive and strengthen the declining panchayati raj system in India.

The key recommendations are:-

Ø The three-tier system should be replaced with two-tier system: Zila parishad (District-level) and the mandal panchayat (a group of villages).

Ø District level as the first level of supervision after the state level.

Ø Zila Parishad should be the executive body and responsible for planning at district level.

Ø The institutions (zila parishad and the mandal panchayat) to have compulsory taxation powers to mobilise their own financial resources.

C. G V K Rao committee and Panchayati Raj

Ø The committee was appointed by the planning commission in 1985. It recognised that development was not seen at the grass root level due to bureaucratisation resulting in panchayat raj institutions being addressed as “grass without roots”. Hence, it made some key recommendations which were as follows:-

Ø Zila Parishad to be the most important body in the scheme of democratic decentralisation. Zila Parishad to be the principal body to manage the development programmes at the district level.

Ø The district and the lower levels of the panchayati raj system to be assigned with specific planning, implementation and monitoring of the rural development programmes.

Ø Post of district development commissioner to be created. He will be chief executive officer of the zila parishad.

Ø Elections to the levels of panchayati raj system should be held regularly.

D. L M Singhvi committee and panchayat raj

The committee was appointed by the government of India in 1986 with the main objective to recommend steps to revitalise the panchayati raj system for democracy and development. The following recommendations were made by the committee:-

1. The committee recommended that the panchayat raj system should be constitutionally recognised. It also recommends constitutional provisions to recognise free and fair election for the panchayati Raj system.

2. The committee recommended reorganization of villages to make the gram panchayat more viable.

3. It recommended that village panchayats should have more finances for their activities

4. Judicial tribunals to be set up in each state to adjudicate matters relating to the elections to the Panchayat Raj institutions and other matters relating to their functioning.

Ø All these things further the argument that panchayat can be very effective in identifying and solving local problems, involve the people in the villages in the development activities, improve the communication between different levels at which politics operate, develop leadership skills and in short help the basic development in the states without making too many structural changes. Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh were the first to adopt panchayati raj in 1959, other states followed them later.

Ø  The act is a very significant step in creating democratic institutions at the grassroots level in the country. Art has transformed representative democracy into participating democracy.

Salient features of 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act , 1992

1. Gram sabha

2. Three-tier system

3. Election of members and chairperson

4. Reservation of seats :-

a) For SC and ST

b) For Women

c) The state legislatures are also given the provision to decide on the reservation of seats in any level of panchayat or office of chairperson in favour of backward classes.

5. Duration of panchayat

6. Disqualification

7. State election commission

8. Powers and functions

9. Finances

10. Finance commission

11. Audit of accounts

12. Application to union territories

13. Exempted state and areas

14. Continuance of existing law

15. Bar to interference by courts.

In India, the panchayati raj system is not a post-independence development. For decades, the village panchayat has been the most powerful political entity in rural India. Panchayats were elected councils in ancient India that had administrative and judicial authority. Panchayat Raj is a three-tiered administrative framework in India that focuses on rural development. The panchayati Raj is a system of local self-government that is used to build districts, zones and villages.

Administrative Reforms In India

Public Administration is a continuous process and, in the sense, it is always an undergoing reform. So, in public administration, ‘reform is a journey rather than a destination’. Reforms are an obvious response to the new challenges confronting state institutions managing public affairs. At the root of such an exercise lies the effort at enhancing administrative capability in the changed scenario. The problem of administrative reform has received continuing attention in India, both at the centre and in the states.

Since Independence, there have been a large number of changes in the structure, work methods, and procedures of the administrative organisations. Although these changes have been gradual, at times not too perceptible, they do indicate the efforts made by the government to affect procedural and policy innovation in the administrative system and to keep pace with the changed situations, growing needs, and exigencies of the government. With this background, the present chapter makes an attempt to understand the concept of administrative reform, to analyze the initiatives of reforms after Independence, and understand the changing patterns of administrative reforms in India in the post – liberalization era.

Theoretical Underpinning Of Administrative Reforms

Public administration as an academic discipline was born with a bias toward change and reform. The term ‘reform’ literally means forming again. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘reform’ as ‘to convert into another and better form, to amend or improve by some change of form, arrangement or composition; to free from previous faults or imperfection.’ Following this definition, ‘administrative reform’ is to convert public administration into a better, improved form.

As An Academic Discipline

The Public Management and Administration field, in essence, is broad, necessitating a
specific study of theoretical frameworks. A review of conceptual literature and
contemporary case studies material on structural transformation and policy reform was
conducted to enlighten the research question and the statement of research. The existing
knowledge was highlighted in terms of its relevancy to this research, thus enabling the
incorporation of valid citation on previous experiences with civil service reform.
Conceptual definitions by proponents usually do not provide generic approaches on
administrative reform process, hence, the need for a focussed review of literature.

The objective is to consult the theoretical material relevant to public service reform.
For any research, it is important to establish a relationship between theoretical and
research perspectives (Procter, 2002) and identify gaps in the literature (Johnson, J.
1991). Varying views of different schools of thought cited must be contrasted so that
what has happened over time helps to show how others handled similar problems in the
past (Gerstenfeld, 2004). Philosophical or metaphysical nature of the phenomena being
investigated, whether observable or unobservable, has to be proved early before the
scientific knowledge of the object that is theory informed and the paradigms position
used in the research is established, appropriately in the concept definition section.
Research in the Public Administration field must not overlook or underlook the societal
imperatives – dynamics, which are underpinning public service reform. Political, social
and economic imperatives of a given society determine the type of public administration adopted for a particular developmental state. Each societal imperative would obviously contribute differently to the internal environment. This pattern is not common in every country as developed and developing societies likewise experience their unique situation where peace and stability enhance the conditions for reform.

A corroding steel frame

A corroding steel frame

Typically steel does not corrode easily. Perhaps that was the reason why the civil services won the epithet of the steel frame of India but the recent turmoil in Lakshadweep and the episode in West Bengal tells a different story. The former is linked to the loopholes that exist in the administration itself while the latter exemplifies the influence of politics on administration.


The island which was known till yesterday for its natural beauty and booming tourism industry is now under the limelight for all the wrong reasons. The trending #savelakshadweep is the new slogan aimed at drawing the attention of commoners to the threat posed by the controversial policy changes to the local culture of the island. Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel has been accused of ‘imposing saffron agenda and corporate interests’.


The administration is being indicted for destroying people’s livelihood, eliminating their staple food (beef), and closing down dairy farms. These alleged religious colored actions have given rise to widespread opposition from the native inhabitants and civil society. The administrator has been given the powers of the district panchayat compounding the argument that administration is the new Goonda-raj. Health, education, fisheries, animal husbandry and agriculture now fall under the jurisdiction of the administrator. An administrator is an agent of the centre, therefore all fingers are pointing to the union government. The protestors are demanding a recall of the administrator. The Kerala assembly even passed a resolution to this effect.


In the second story, West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay was suddenly recalled to Delhi. The whole tussle started when Bengal CM and Bandyopadhyay left a meeting being chaired by Prime Minister to review damage and mitigation caused by cyclone Yaas. According to the service rules an officer has to report to the prime minister in such an event. The centre has accused the chief secretary of breaching the service rules. However, CM stated that the rules were abided but the centre is of a different opinion.


These two instances show the Dark side of the Indian administration. Ideally, an officer should maintain political, ideological and religious neutrality and work under democratically elected representatives. When neutrality is compromised then the system fails to work for the common good of the country. The case of Lakshadweep is quintessentially a testament to this fact. The voice raised against the administration not only creates mistrust among people but also taints the name of the entire organisation.


The Supreme Court of India described a civil servant as a person who serves a master that is; the state. There is a difference between the state and the political party governing that state. Failure to see this difference by either of the two, the party in power or the officer, is detrimental to a functional democracy. In West Bengal, an officer is on a tight rope because of the animosity between the parties in power in state and centre.


India is one of the most diverse countries in the world needs a strong steel frame to rely on. The corrosive elements like political biases or unabated political pressure, should be kept far away or it won’t be long when we see the beautiful monument of democracy we built from blood and sweat, crumble to dust.