-The Telegraph
Indian bureaucracy is the worst in Asia with a rating of 9.21 out of 10, according to a report by a Hong Kong-based consulting firm.
Singapore was rated the best in the report by Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd released today. (See chart)
But many bureaucrats The Telegraph spoke to raised questions about the report.
“This is a Hong Kong-based firm. China has one of the most political bureaucracies in the world. Why don’t they comment on the Chinese bureaucracy?” said a serving bureaucrat who has spent several years in Beijing.
The report said India’s inefficient bureaucracy was largely responsible for most of the complaints business executives had about the country.
The complaints include inadequate infrastructure and corruption, where officials are willing to accept under-the-table payments and companies are tempted to pay to overcome bureaucratic inertia and gain government favours.
Ved Marwah, who served as Delhi’s police commissioner, NSG director-general and governor of several states, said rampant political interference was the problem. “A bureaucracy is like a liquid. It will take shape of the receptacle you put it into. It is no use blaming the bureaucracy when political bosses promote bureaucrats not for their ability or integrity but loyalty and pliability,” he said.
“Our bureaucracy continues to attract the best talent in the country and is very well trained,” Marwah said.
Rakesh Mehta, the former Delhi chief secretary, said: “The Indian bureaucracy is one of the few which follows a totally merit-based selection process which has to be one of the toughest in the world…. I don’t know how this survey arrived at its conclusions.”
The report highlighted onerous and fickle tax, environmental and other regulations that could make business in India “so frustrating and expensive”. It said dealing with the Indian courts was an unattractive option for companies, and was best avoided.
The bureaucrats were rarely held accountable for wrong decisions and it would be extremely difficult to challenge them in case of disagreement, the report said.
“This gives them terrific powers and could be one of the main reasons why average Indians as well as existing and would-be foreign investors perceive India’s bureaucrats as negatively as they do.”