A Reader’s Opinion about Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS)

The Tamil newspaper Dinamalar recently published an opinion of one of its readers about Performance Related Incentive Scheme.

According to the writeup, based on the recommendations by the Sixth Pay Commission, the scheme had been introduced more than five years ago in select central government departments like atomic energy, space research and defence.

The scheme has already been implemented in atomic energy, space research and scientific and technical research departments under the name of “Performance Based Incentive Scheme”. As a result, there has been tremendous improvement in the productivity and output of these departments.

One can use the Right to Information Act to find out how the performance is evaluated and details regarding promotions. The annual performance appraisals submitted by the employees and the feedback and comments marked by their senior officials are now declassified and are accessible to all. The employee is evaluated based on the annual targets, and the amount of work accomplished that year.

Options have been created to constantly improve management practices. Still, there are issues that need to be addressed. There is fear that such target-based appraisals would encourage unhealthy and selfish result-obsessed-performances, and discourage team spirit and selfless acts aimed at general welfare.

In order to successfully implement these schemes, it is very important for the management to be proactive, benevolent, focussed, with clear thinking process, and very impartial.

In other words, a mere rod isn’t sufficient to control an elephant. One also has to have a properly qualified and trained mahout. Similarly, mere schemes alone wouldn’t bring the required transformation in the central government departments. They also need excellent management teams to implement them successfully.