Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Vinod Rai speaks to Nistula Hebbar on why small is beautiful for governance:When the size of government increases, deadwood too increases. For every minister, there will be at least 30 staffers with marginal productivity EGoMs or GoMs were created to co-ordinate between ministries. But a Cabinet Secretary is supposed to do this. A GoM can only delay decisions.It was important the PM interacted with senior bureaucrats to gauge their wealth of experience. Also, in the context of a supposed policy paralysis gripping the government, it was important to find out why it occurred. When a government expands, each paper would ordinarily go through seven signature levels, from section officer, under secretary, deputy secretary/director, joint secretary, additional secretary, special secretary and then secretary. This is waste of time.We have to cut through the red tape. If a secretary requires six signatures before approving something, he is not worthy of the position. An under secretary or director can see a paper, send it on to the joint secretary and then straight to secretary. From six, to three levels is a clean cut that can be made immediately. There are other issues too which can be worked on.In April 2008, the Cabinet Secretary contacted me saying the PM wanted me to address officers on Civil Services Day and tell them not to worry about the CVC, CBI and CAG. That means the spectre of the three Cs was very much on the minds of bureaucrats. I did tell them that objectivity and transparency would ensure protection. Policy paralysis due to fear pre-dates me.I am penning a book on issues related to governance, and how issues of ethics and morality are interwoven into governance goals and processes. It is being published by Rupa Books , and I will be drawing on some of my experiences on how things went wrong, when governance was a casualty. When people refused to fulfill responsibilities mandated upon them.