The way Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been assessing the performance of his Cabinet colleagues based on the speed of file clearance is drawing criticism in administrative and political circles.
According to Naidu, faster clearance of files reflects efficiency in administration. During the recently concluded Collectors’ Conference in Amaravati, he reportedly ranked ministers based on the average time taken to clear each file.
Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu topped the list, while Nimmala Ramanaidu and BC Janardhan Reddy secured the second and third positions respectively. NMD Farooq, TG Bharat, Ponguru Narayana, Kolusu Parthasarathy, Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Nara Lokesh and Anagani Satya Prasad occupied the next positions.
At the other end of the rankings were ministers who took considerably longer to clear files. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan was ranked 16th, while Gummidi Sandhyarani was placed 17th.
The list placed Nadendla Manohar, Kandla Durgesh, Vangalapudi Anitha, Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, S. Savitha, Kollu Ravindra, Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy and Payyavula Keshav in the remaining positions, with the latter two occupying the bottom two slots.
However, analysts are questioning whether a minister’s performance or efficiency can really be judged primarily by how quickly files are cleared.
Speed in disposing of files is undoubtedly an important aspect of administration. Delayed decisions can hold up projects, payments, appointments, welfare measures and other government programmes.
“However, the number of files cleared and the average time taken per file do not necessarily reveal the quality of the decisions. A minister is not merely a clerk or an officer sitting in the Secretariat clearing files. He is also a politician who has to take care of his constituency and remain connected with the people,” an analyst said.
Moreover, a minister may take longer to examine a complicated file involving a major infrastructure project, a large financial commitment, a policy change or a sensitive public issue.
“He cannot necessarily be considered less efficient than someone who clears a routine file within a few hours. The complexity of the subject, financial implications, number of departments involved, legal scrutiny required and consequences of a decision can all affect the time taken to dispose of a file,” the analyst said.
Similarly, clearing a high number of files does not by itself establish that the decisions were effective, transparent or beneficial to the public.
A more meaningful test would arguably be what happened after those files were cleared. Were the decisions implemented properly? Did they improve service delivery? Did they reduce costs or delays? Did they produce measurable results? Were public funds utilised effectively?
Interestingly, Naidu praised Atchannaidu not merely for speed but also for clarity, transparency and efficiency.
However, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav was placed at the bottom of the list, even though his department deals with files involving budget releases, loans, fund allocations and major financial commitments, which may naturally require greater scrutiny and more time.
This raises a broader question: while speed matters in governance, should it be the primary yardstick for judging a minister’s overall efficiency?
