In its final report, the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission II has advised the Government not to launch new welfare schemes for an indefinite period and to have a fixed time frame of three to five years for such schemes.
When launching new schemes, the Government should adopt a “one-in, one out” framework—wherein one scheme is stopped to start another—to avoid the state’s limited resources being stretched thin, the commission has recommended.
The report was submitted by the commission’s chairman and Congress MLA, R V Deshpande, to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday.
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“It is not recommended to launch new schemes for an indefinite period without clearly defined, measurable targets—such as the intended number of beneficiaries, coverage area, and expected outcomes. Every new scheme should be approved and implemented in mission mode with a fixed time-frame of 3 to 5 years, supported by a results framework (baseline data, annual milestones, and outcome indicators),” the report said.
Even if the scheme is continued beyond five years, it should not be automatic, the commission said. Any extension may be permitted only after an independent performance evaluation, clear achievement of intended outcomes, and continuing relevance of the intervention.
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“Routine extensions without such review indicate inadequate focus, weak accountability, and inefficient deployment of financial and human resources, for newer priority interventions,” the report stated.
Another key recommendation dealt with the new schemes announced by the Government, especially in the budget. The commission said the Government should institutionalise an annual exercise to close, merge, or discontinue an equal number of schemes. This would ensure adequate fiscal space for new initiatives and the availability of required manpower for the effective implementation and monitoring of schemes announced in the budget.
“Accordingly, it is recommended that the Government adopt a “one-in, one-out” scheme rationalisation framework, supported by clear criteria and annual review at the time of budget finalisation,” it said.
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Mandatory evaluation at budget stage
During the evaluation of ongoing schemes at the time of annual budget finalisation, “it may be made mandatory to undertake evaluation of all ongoing schemes, including an assessment of their objectives, physical and financial performance. Schemes of low impact, persistent under-performance, or overlap with similar interventions may be discontinued or considered for merger with similar schemes”, the commission has said.
Its other recommendations include the redeployment of surplus staff from low-workload units to frontline and service-delivery functions, conversion of obsolete clerical posts into technical or executive posts where required, abolition of long-vacant or functionally redundant posts, and freezing of the indiscriminate expansion of Group-C and Group-D cadres, and optimising outsourcing practices, among others.
The commission was formed in 2021 and has submitted 10 reports to date. The final report has 355 recommendations, bringing the total to over 6,000 across 42 departments.
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According to the chief minister’s office, 2,014 recommendations made over the years were fully implemented, 186 were partly implemented, and 2,274 were being examined by the respective departments, while others were under implementation.
Fix time period of 3 to 5 years for new welfare schemes, Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission tells Govt
Also among the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission’s recommendations are the conversion of obsolete clerical posts into technical or executive posts, freezing of the indiscriminate expansion of Group-C and Group-D cadres, and optimising outsourcing practices.