What is Sludge? Excessive or unjustified frictions that make it difficult for people to get things done. Frictions that make processes difficult to complete including; such as excessive paperwork, unnecessary NOCs to be obtained, excessive hierarchy involved in approvals, centralized decision making and rent seeking attempts – All this costs time and money and frustrates people by depriving them of access to goods, opportunities, and services. Why Sludge matter? Impedes decision making Imposes costs upon the economy Discourages investments, lowers productivity Imposes psychological costs Objectives of the “PIDE Sludge Series” To highlight the sludge involved in different activities. Induce the concerned agencies to work for reducing sludge To pin down areas where sludge can be reduced either by shortening the process or through digitization