I worked as health secretary for about five
years from the middle of 1962 to the middle of 1967. Thereafter I worked as finance secretary until the end of 1969. Indiscipline was rampant in the health department. Intense lobbying to secure plum postings was the order of the day. Ministers, legislators, senior officers and other influential people openly pleaded the cause of their proteges. The Health Minister was an honest, well-meaning politician. He approved my proposals to bring about some system and objectivity in postings and transfers and put an end to lobbying. But those efforts met with only limited success.
Doctors succeeded in getting desired postings by resorting to bribery. On the eve of the elections, the then minister sent down over 100 transfer orders from his camp office. They were in conflict with the guidelines and quite a few were confusing in as much as two doctors were posted to the same place, or one person was posted to more than one post. I did not carry out the orders. I submitted a note to Chief Minister through the Chief Secretary pointing out why the orders should not be implemented. The Chief Secretary supported me. The Chief Minister decided that the minister’s orders should not be implemented. All the doctors who had paid money were disappointed. In several other departments also corruption became widespread. In the works departments corruption had existed since a long time in the matter of awarding contracts. Now bribes were freely offered to secure transfer to particular posts, and even for getting promotions.years from the middle of 1962 to the middle of 1967. Thereafter I worked as finance secretary until the end of 1969. Indiscipline was rampant in the health department. Intense lobbying to secure plum postings was the order of the day. Ministers, legislators, senior officers and other influential people openly pleaded the cause of their proteges. The Health Minister was an honest, well-meaning politician. He approved my proposals to bring about some system and objectivity in postings and transfers and put an end to lobbying. But those efforts met with only limited success.
As Finance Secretary I found that the finances of the state were in a precarious condition. Financial discipline had evaporated. Long before the advent of the wireless and the telephone, the British had included in the Treasury Code a rule (Rule 27) empowering collectors to draw money from the treasury to meet emergencies like floods, earthquakes, devastating fires, etc. To my dismay I found that collectors were freely drawing money for all manner of trivial purposes under Rule 27 of the Treasury Code. In one case a collector had drawn money under the rule to buy a staff car for the SDO of another district.
All checks and balances had disappeared. There was no accountability and any one could do what he pleased. Resorting to a number of harsh measures I could restore a measure of financial discipline. But the administration continued to be in disarray.
1. How many years did the author work as health secretary?
1) He worked as health secretary until the end of 1969.
2) He worked as health secretary before he took over as finance secretary.
3) He worked as health secretary till the health minister was found to be a man of integrity.
4) He worked as health secretary for about five years.
5) He did not work as health secretary at all.
2. According to the author what was the order of the day ?
1) Strict discipline
2) Cut throat competition
3) Racial discrimination
4) Intense lobbying
5) None of these
3. How did the doctors succeed in getting desired postings?
1) Through dedicated service
2) By working in the health minister’s constituency
3) By joining hands with the underworld criminals
4) By resorting to sycophancy
5) By resorting to bribery
4. When the health minister sent down 100 transfer orders from his camp office, how did the author react?
(A) He immediately obeyed the minister.
(B) He did not carry out the orders .
(C) He submitted a note to Chief Minister through the Chief Secretary.
1) Only (A)
2) Only (B)
3) Only (A) & (B)
4) Only (B) & (C)
5) Only (A) & (C)
5. What happened when the Chief Minister decided that the minister’s orders should not be implemented?
1) The author was very happy.
2) The author arranged a tea party to celebrate his victory.
3) The doctors resigned and left the hospitals.
4) The health minister submitted his resignation.
5) All the doctors who had paid money were disappointed.
Directions (Q. 6-10): Choose the word which is MOST OPPOSITE in meaning of the word given in bold as used in the passage.
6. Intense
1) Active
2) Vigorous
3) Feeble
4) Inferior
5) Devise
7. Success
1) Defeat
2) Succeed
3) Abrupt
4) Failure
5) Difficult
8. Conflict
1) Conformity
2) Disagreement
3) Attest
4) Combat
5) Manifest
Directions (Q. 9-10): Choose the word which is MOST SIMILAR in meaning to the word given in bold as used in the passage.
9. Supported
1) Advocated
2) Betrayed
3) Helped
4) Abandoned
5) Proposed
10. Promotion
1) Premonition
2) Facilitate
3) Elevation
4) Obstruction
5) Encourage
Answers:
1. 4
2. 4
3. 5
4. 4
5. 5
6. 3
7. 4
8. 1
9. 3
10. 3
