Step out of that old Bureau bubble

Senior bureaucrats have long been perceived - with justification - of being one big old boys' club, wary of meeting people from outside 'governmentdom'. The origins of this apprehension are unclear, but the Lakshman Rekha doubling as an echo chamber has taken root probably because bureaucrats, like people in general, like hearing only things they like to hear.

In a welcome gesture, Cabinet secretary T V Somanathan recently issued a memo, urging secretaries to GoI and other senior officials to engage more openly with people outside the bureaucracy. This includes representatives from trade unions, political parties, NGOs, the private sector (Indian and foreign), and chambers of commerce.

Such interactions, Somanathan noted, can offer valuable and deeper insights into sectoral trends, different PoVs, and clear up misconceptions about government policies, introduce new ideas and enable timely course corrections.

While some boundaries have been outlined - meetings should be held in offices - the broader push is welcome. It can certainly deepen citizen-governance engagement. Policies may be crafted with the public's best interests in mind, but their implementation often needs fine-tuning.

These dialogues and tete-a-tetes also give officials a chance to explain the intent and nuances of laws to those who may have concerns. That's precisely why draft policies are routinely published on ministry websites for public consultation.

Isolating and insulating policymaking from public feedback is not just bad for the quality of policy, it also weakens the overall structure of governance. Engagement builds trust, identifies blind spots, and ensures that final outcomes are both effective and seen as legitimate by those they affect: the citizenry.