Published in Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, Vol. 48, No.

4,
November 2010, 44!4"
#he $%& '((icer ! predator or victim)
N.C. &a*ena
The Indian Administrative Service is a troubled institution not least
because of political compulsions imposed upon it. This paper examines
several of the more serious problems that it faces: a lack of
professionalism, the creation of redundant posts, unsatisfactory
structures of reward and punishment, and an inability to deliver
services adeuately. It then su!!ests steps which an increasin!ly
proactive central !overnment mi!ht take to address these problems at
the state level in this federal system, where they are most apparent.
These include a !reater focus on policy outcomes" linkin! transfers with
performance by state !overnments" and enhancin! accountability
outward to society and citi#ens, rather than inward and upward within
the !overnment.
According to a recent survey
1
on 12 Asian economies done by the Hong Kong
based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, Indias !su""ocating
bureaucracy! #as ranked
2
the least$e""icient, and #orking #ith the countrys
civil servants #as described as a !slo# and %ain"ul! %rocess& '(hey are a
%o#er centre in their o#n right at both the national and state levels, and are
e)tremely resistant to re"orm that a""ects them or the #ay they go about their
duties,* the re%ort said&
India*s o#n +econd Administrative Re"orms Commission is no less scathing in
its criticism,
(he state a%%aratus is generally %erceived to be largely ine""icient #ith
most "unctionaries serving no use"ul %ur%ose& (he bureaucracy is
generally seen to be tardy, ine""icient and unres%onsive& Corru%tion is
all$%ervasive, eating into the vitals o" our system, undermining
economic gro#th, distorting com%etition and dis%ro%ortionately hurting
the %oor and marginali-ed citi-ens& Criminali-ation o" %olitics continues
unchecked, #ith money and muscle %o#er %laying a large role in
elections& In general there is a high degree o" volatility in society on
account o" un"ul"illed e)%ectations and %oor delivery& Abuse o" authority
at all levels in all organs o" state has become the bane o" our
democracy&*
1
Times of India, 3
rd
June 2009
2
Ranking by most efficient to least efficient economies: Singaore, !ong "ong,
T#ailand, Sout# "orea, Jaan, $alaysia, Tai%an, &ietnam, '#ina, (#iliines,
Indonesia and India)
1
(he %oor sha%e o" India*s bureaucracy has also resulted in indi""erent
%rogress on the ./0s& High gro#th not#ithstanding, India seems to have
"ailed on t#o "ronts& 1irst, social indicators on health, nutrition, hygiene, and
2uality o" education are either stagnant or moving very slo#ly& And secondly, a
large number o" marginalised and disadvantaged %eo%le have either not
gained "rom develo%ment, or in many cases have actually been harmed "rom
the %rocess& 3eak governance, mani"esting itsel" in %oor service delivery,
uncaring leadershi%, and uncoordinated and #aste"ul %ublic e)%enditure, are
the key "actors im%inging on develo%ment and social indicators&
Political compulsions and bureaucracy
In a #ell$"unctioning democracy, the %olitical %rocess #ould ideally "ind
ans#ers to governance %roblems& Political %ressure can be healthy i" it results
in greater demand on administration "or e""iciency and better services to the
%eo%le& Pressures %ro%erly regulated and #isely tem%ered, im%rove the s%irit
o" administration and hel% to kee% it on an even keel, but this is not ha%%ening
in India&
(here is a gro#ing belie" #idely shared among the %olitical and bureaucratic
elite in government that the state is an arena #here %ublic o""ice is to be used
"or %rivate ends& Immediate %olitical %ressures "or distribution o" %atronage are
so intense that there is no time or inclination "or the ministers and bureaucrats
to do conce%tual thinking, to design good %rogrammes, #eed out those that
are not "unctioning #ell, and monitor the %rogrammes #ith a vie# to im%rove
the e""ectiveness o" delivery& At the same time elections re2uire "unds #hich
have to come through the looting o" the 0overnment treasury&
(he %olitical system in many states is accountable not to the %eo%le but to
those #ho are behind the individual .embers o" the state level 4egislative
Assemblies 5.4As67 these are o"ten contractors, ma"ia, corru%t bureaucrats,
and mani%ulators #ho have made money through the %olitical system, and
are there"ore interested in the continuation o" chaos and %atronage based
administration& (he "act that hal" o" the %oliticians in some states are either
criminals or have strong criminal links and thus have no "aith in the rule o" la#
"urther com%ounds the %roblem&
(he state resources are the most valued %ri-e "or both %oliticians and their
constituencies, #hich leads to a client %atron relationshi% bet#een the holders
o" state %o#er and those seeking "avours& Patronage is controlled by
individuals, not established institutions bound to "ollo# set %rocedures&
3here %o#er is highly %ersonalised and #eakly institutionalised, the decision
making %rocess is re%laced by arbitrary and behind$the$scene transactions& In
such an environment, e)ercise o" %o#er "or its clients demands "udging o"
rules, de%endence u%on corru%t civil servants, %lundering o" the %ublic
treasury, and decay o" governance& 3hen "ence starts eating the "ield, there
is little chance o" develo%ment reaching the %oor&
3inston Churchill on the eve o" India*s Inde%endence had said, 'Po#er #ill go
to the hands o" rascals, rogues and "reebooters& All Indian leaders #ill be o"
lo# calibre and men o" stra#& (hey #ill have s#eet tongues and silly hearts&
(hey #ill "ight among themselves "or %o#er and India #ill be lost in %olitical
2
s2uabbles*& 3hat a%%eared as a scandalous outburst then may be called an
understatement no#8
Impact on the IAS
In almost all states %eo%le see the bureaucracy as #ooden, disinterested in
%ublic #el"are, and corru%t& 9right men and #omen :oin the IA+, but adverse
#ork environment, constant %olitical inter"erence, "re2uent and o"ten
meaningless trans"ers, and corru%tion belo# and above them all leads to the
death o" idealism, and encourages them too to misuse their authority&
/isillusionment and greed, and not need, is the driving "orce behind gra"t
amongst civil servants&
A young IA+ o""icer "rom 9ihar described
;
the %redicament o" honest o""icers
in the "ollo#ing terms,$
'As Pro:ect /irector 5P/6 I #as handling rural develo%ment "unds and it
#as o"ten a %roblem to release money to the sub$district 9locks and
Panchayats 5elected village councils6& (his #as so because the 9lock
/evelo%ment <""icer 59/<6 or the .ukhia 5elected %anchayat
%resident6 #ould immediately take u% n number o" schemes and
distribute the total money as advance to either his o#n relatives #ho
act as agents or Abhikartas 5=unior Engineers6 in em%loyment schemes
or the muscle men or %etty contractors o" the local .4A& I" any action is
%ro%osed against the 9/< or the .ukhia a re%ort has to be sent to the
.inister #ho o"ten does not take any action& (his "urther emboldens
the 9/< #hile the Collector> P/ gets demoralised& ?%right o""icers
have been systemetically marginalised by the indulgent %olitical
masters #ho e)%ect a committed bureaucracy& Committed o""icers
en:oy outstanding CRs 5annual con"idential re%orts6 and "oreign
training, #hile u%right o""icers are sidelined in useless de%artments
Ra:bhasha 5<""icial 4anguage6, Protocol etc& 3hen they a%%ly "or 0<I
de%utation, all kinds o" hinderances are created& (his is done to break
the u%right o""icer and make him submissive and more committed&*
(he IA+ serves the state but the state structure is itsel" getting increasingly
dys"unctional and divorced "rom %ublic interest& In some north Indian states
%arallel authority structures and .a"ia gangs have emerged& (ribal regions in
central and north$east India are out o" bounds "or normal administration& In
such a situation it is no sur%rise i" the bureaucracy too is in bad sha%e&
<ver the years, #hatever little virtues the IA+ %ossessed $ integrity, %olitical
neutrality, courage and high morale $ are sho#ing signs o" decay& .any civil
servants are dee%ly involved in %artisan %olitics, they are %reoccu%ied #ith it,
%enetrated by it, and no# %artici%ate individually and collectively in it& (his is
understandable, though un"ortunate, because bet#een e)%ression o" the #ill
o" the +tate 5re%resented by %oliticians6 and the e)ecution o" that #ill 5through
the administrators6 there cannot be any long term dichotomy& In other #ords,
a model in #hich %oliticians #ould be casteist, corru%t and #ill harbour
criminals, #hereas civil servants #ill continue to be e""icient, res%onsive to
%ublic needs and change$agents cannot be sustained inde"initely& In the long
run administrative and %olitical values have to coincide&
3
(lanning 'ommission, 2000, $id Term araisal of t#e 9
t#
(lan, *o+t of India
3
3hile de"ending the continuation o" the all India +ervices, +ardar Patel had
said, !they are as good as #e are!& At that time it #as taken as a com%liment
that the civil service #as being com%ared #ith statesmen #ho had #on
"reedom "or the country& <ne does not kno# ho# many civil servants #ill like
to be told today that they are like %oliticians& 9ut things have moved a "ull
circle, and %erha%s many o" them behave like %oliticians$ the English
s%eaking %oliticians$ corru%t, #ith short term targets, narro# hori-ons, "eudal
outlook, disres%ect "or norms, contributing nothing to the #el"are o" the nation,
em%ty %romises, and no action&
Internal problems within the IAS
4ack o" %ro"essionalism $ A high degree o" %ro"essionalism ought to be the
dominant characteristic o" a modern bureaucracy& (he "atal "ailing o" the
Indian bureaucracy has been its lo# level o" %ro"essional com%etence& (he
IA+ o""icer s%ends more than hal" o" his tenure on %olicy desks #here domain
kno#ledge is a vital %rere2uisite& Ho#ever in the %resent environment there is
no incentive "or a young civil servant to ac2uire kno#ledge or im%rove his
skills& (here is thus an e)%onential gro#th in both, his ignorance and
arrogance& It is said that in the house o" an IA+ o""icer one #ould "ind only
three books $ the rail#ay timetable, because he is al#ays being shunted "rom
one %ost to the other, a "ilm maga-ine because that is his level o" interest, and
o" course, the civil list $ that describes the service hierarchy8 An im%ortant
"actor #hich contributes to the surrender o" senior o""icers be"ore %olitical
masters is the total lack o" any market value and lack o" alternative
em%loyment %otential& 9eyond government they have no "uture, because their
talents are so "e#& .ost IA+ o""icers thus end u% as dead #ood #ithin a "e#
years o" :oining the service and their genius lies only in mani%ulation and
:ockeying "or %ositions #ithin government&
Creation o" redundant %osts $ /ue to the control that the IA+ lobby e)erts on
the system, a large number o" redundant %osts in the su%er$time and su%erior
scales have been created to ensure them 2uick %romotions& <"ten a senior
%ost has been s%lit, thus diluting and diminishing the scale o" res%onsibilities
attached #ith the %ost& 1or instance, in some states against the %ost o" one
Chie" +ecretary, there are many o""icers no# in e2uivalent but "ar less
im%ortant %osts dra#ing the same salary& In one state, %reviously #here one
o""icer used to be the +ecretary o" .edical and Health, no# there are "ive
o""icers doing the :ob o" one, "our are in$charge o" health, "amily %lanning,
medical, and medical education res%ectively, #hereas the "i"th one as
Princi%al +ecretary oversees the #ork o" these "our +ecretaries8
(his has a%%arently been done to avoid demoralisation due to stagnation, but
the net result has been :ust the o%%osite& 1irst, it leads to cut throat
com%etition #ithin the service to grab the im%ortant slots& (he old
camaraderie has vanished& Instances are not lacking #hen IA+ o""icers
#anting %lum :ob have gone to the %oliticians denigrating their com%etitors&
+econd, this no$holds$barred com%etition is then e)%loited by %oliticians in
%laying u% one against the other leading to o""icers becoming more %liable&
(hird, "or IA+ o""icers in the marginalised %ositions government seems
remote, heartless and more un:ust no# than ever be"ore& .any have gone to
,
the (ribunals and Courts "or %romotions and %ostings, a %henomenon that
#as unheard o" t#o decades ago&
Perverse incentives are not the only "actor undermining the e""ectiveness o"
the bureaucracy& Its com%osition is also ske#ed& 1or instance, in most states,
about @AB o" all government em%loyees are su%%ort sta"" unrelated to %ublic
service C drivers, %eons and clerks& Key %ublic services C education,
healthcare, %olice and :udiciary$ are starved o" %eo%le, #hereas many #ings
are oversta""ed&
+tructure o" re#ard and %unishment $ It may be recalled that even in the
1D@As the o""icers e)erted %ressure on the system to move to #hat they
thought #ere more glamorous %ositions& +ome decades back, #hen !useless!
%osts #ere almost non$e)istent, an in"ormal hierarchy o" :obs had e)isted& (he
+ecretary Industries, as also every one else, thought that he #as holding a
more im%ortant :ob than the +ecretary +ocial 3el"are although they dre# the
same salary& A collector o" a large district "elt humiliated i" he #as trans"erred
as /irector o" (ribal /evelo%ment&
(he di""erence bet#een then and no# is that %reviously civil servants had
clear ideas about the ty%e o" behaviour that #ould be re#arded or %unished7
"urthermore, control over that, and :udgment about it, #as in the hands o" the
civil service itsel"& Eo#, the structure o" re#ard and %unishment is decidedly
and s2uarely in the hands o" the %oliticians, #ho there"ore cannot be
dis%leased& (oday many 4egislative Assemblies meet only "or 2A to ;A days in
a year& .4As are not interested in legislative "unctions, they all #ant a share
in the e)ecutive8 .ost o" the time they inter"ere in the role o" other #ings o"
0overnment #ith no sense o" accountability, but they have nuisance value "or
back$door in"luencing in decision making& +uch back seat driving means
in"ormal control over the bureaucracy, but it %romotes irres%onsible decision
making and encourages corru%tion& (he traditional se%aration bet#een the
e)ecutive and the legislature has disa%%eared in India& (his has meant
erosion o" internal disci%line and emergence o" the district .4As as the real
boss "or the Collector&
Poor service delivery $ (o be "air to the modern brand o" %oliticians, it must be
admitted that e)ce%t "or high integrity, neutrality to#ards %arty %olitics, and
%rovision o" minimal administrative services in times o" emergency, the civil
service even in the %ast had little to commend "or itsel"& E""iciency in the civil
services #as al#ays very narro#ly de"ined7 it #as in terms o" contem%t "or
%olitics and adherence to rules, but never in terms o" increased %ublic
satis"action& In such a scenario o" lo# institutional ca%ability it is un"air to
e)%ect that the %olitical %rocesses #ould be totally "ree "rom %o%ulism or
sectarianism& 9ecause o" the inability o" the system to deliver, %oliticians do
not %erceive good governance as "easible or even im%ortant "or getting votes&
Eo chie" minister seems to be saying to his constituents, #ithin three months
all canals #ould run on time, you #ould get 1A hours o" electricity, rations
#ould be available "or the %oor, you a%%ly "or a license today and #ithin a
month it #ould reach your doors, your grievances #ill be %rom%tly attended to,
etc& <ne reason #hy he does not say so is the total lack o" "aith on the %art o"
voters in such %romises #hich need delivery through the administrative
-
a%%aratus& .inisters too are conscious o" the limitations o" the system, and
reali-e that such %romises cannot be delivered&
It is here that the civil service has "ailed miserably& Politics is a"ter all art o" the
%ossible, and i" the civil service is no longer able to ensure service delivery,
%oliticians are "orced to resort to identity based %olitics in order to reach at
least some sections to kee% the "aith o" the voter alive in the %olitical system&
Although many civil servants hold the vie# that it is the nature o" %olitics #hich
largely determines the nature o" the civil service and the ends to #hich it
#ould be %ut, and there"ore civil service re"orms cannot succeed in isolation,
causation is also in the other direction& Eon$%er"orming administration leaves
little choice to the %oliticians but to resort to %o%ulist rhetoric and sectarian
strategies&
Rather than try to im%rove the delivery system, many IA+ o""icers are
com%romising #ith the rot and acce%ting a diminished role "or themselves by
becoming agents o" e)%loitation in a state structure #hich no# resembles
more like the one in the medieval %eriod $ authoritarian, brutal, directionless,
and callous to the needs o" the %oor& A "e# com%etent and ambitious civil
servants #ould be able to rise above all this, by :oining the ?E and other such
organisations& (heir material success #ill "urther "uel the desire o" the ordinary
members o" the service to enrich themselves by hook or by crook& In the
%rocess they #ould become totally indistinguishable "rom other rent seeking
%arasites $ %oliticians, Ins%ectors and middlemen& Perha%s they had not
imagined that they #ould end u% like this at the time o" :oining the service&
+tagnation in their intellectual ca%abilities and a decline in sel"$esteem #ill
"urther demoralise them& /isillusionment and corru%tion are thus likely to
coe)ist in the IA+ "or 2uite sometime to come&
How to stem the rot?
0overnment o" India trans"erred almost "our trillion Ru%ees in 2AAF$AD to the
states& I" even hal" o" it #as to be sent to the si)ty million %oor "amilies 5at 2FB
as the cuto"" line "or %overty, ;AA million %oor #ould be e2uivalent to roughly
GA million households6 directly by money order, they #ould receive more than
DA Ru%ees a day8 It %roves that %ublic e)%enditure needs to be e""ectively
translated into %ublic goods and services that reach the %oor "or it to have an
im%act on %overty and social outcomes& ?n"ortunately di""erent kinds o"
distortions can come in the #ay o" resource allocations reaching the intended
bene"iciaries&
Although there has been a gro#ing realisation among some chie" ministers on
the need to im%rove governance, only a "e# have been able to translate this
into concrete action& (his #ould necessarily involve kee%ing the .4As and
.inisters under check, #hich is di""icult #hen the state is under a coalition
regime, or the ruling %arty is constrained by a thin margin in the Assembly, or
is divided into "actions& In many other states even Chie" .inisters seem to be
averse to %ro"essionali-ing administration&
3hen neither %olitics nor state administration has the ca%acity "or sel"$
correction, only e)ternal %ressure can coerce states to take hard decisions
that #ill hit at their money making tactics& In the Indian situation 5#here
"oreign donors %rovide very little aid to the states as com%ared #ith #hat is
.
%rovided by the Centre6 this can come only "rom the Centre, backed by strong
civil society and media action&
Conditions under #hich the civil servants o%erate in the social sector
.inistries in 0overnment o" India 50<I6 are some#hat di""erent "rom the #ork
environment %revailing in the states& 1irst, the central government =oint
+ecretary does not control "ield sta"" and is there"ore "ree "rom the %ressures
o" trans"ers and %ostings& +econd, his>her tenure in 0<I is "or "ive years,
#hich "acilitates gro#th o" %ro"essionalism& In the states, #hen o""icers "ear
that they #ould be trans"erred #ithin si) months there is hardly any incentive
to %er"orm& (hird, central government o""icials are more in touch #ith e)%erts,
donors and s%ecialists, and there"ore are under %eer grou% %ressure to learn
their sub:ect and be able to converse #ith the s%ecialists on e2ual terms& In
some cases, #here 0<I .inistries 5such as in Education and lately in Health6
have started behaving like donors and make states be ans#erable "or results,
results in the "ield are more satis"actory than in the .inistries, such as (ribal
A""airs, 1ood H Civil +u%%lies, and 3omen H Child /evelo%ment, #here they
are content #ith :ust release o" "unds or "oodgrain #ith little monitoring o"
outcomes&
(here"ore the enhanced control by the Centre on social sector e)%enditure
should %rovide a #indo# o" o%%ortunity to %ut some %ressure on the states to
im%rove their administration and service delivery& +ome o" the #ays it can be
achieved are discussed belo#&
1ocus on outcomes $ At %resent o""icials at all levels s%end a great deal o"
time in collecting and submitting in"ormation, but these are not used "or taking
corrective and remedial action or "or analysis, but only "or "or#arding it to a
higher level, or "or ans#ering Parliament> Assembly Iuestions& E2ually, state
governments do not discourage re%orting o" in"lated "igures "rom the districts,
#hich again renders monitoring ine""ective& As data is o"ten not veri"ied or
collected through inde%endent sources, no action is taken against o""icers
indulging in bogus re%orting& (he %ractice is so #idely %revalent in all the
states, that the overall %ercentage o" malnourished children, in case o" A$;
years according to the data reaching 0<I "rom the "ield is F %er cent 5#ith only
one %er cent children severely malnourished6, as against JG %er cent 5#ith 1@
%er cent children severely malnourished6 re%orted by an inde%endent survey
s%onsored by 0<I& (he "ield o""icials are thus able to esca%e "rom any sense
o" accountability in reducing malnutrition&
(he situation can easily be corrected by asking the state governments to
sho# greater trans%arency o" the district and centre records by %utting them
on a #ebsite, and by "re2uent "ield ins%ections by an inde%endent team o"
e)%erts, nutritionists, and grassroots #orkers& (he Centre should also %ull u%
the states "or not recognising almost DAB o" the severely malnourished
children&
1iscal trans"ers C Kery little o" the 0<I trans"er o" roughly Rs J trillion Ru%ees
5this amount does not include subsidies, such as on "ood, kerosene, and
"ertili-ers6 annually to the states is linked #ith %er"ormance and good delivery&
(he conce%t o" good governance needs to be translated into a 2uanti"iable
/
annual inde) on the basis o" certain agreed indicators, and central trans"ers
should be linked to such an inde)
J
&
Accountability $ As a conse2uence o" its colonial heritage as #ell as the
hierarchical social system administrative accountability in India #as al#ays
internal and u%#ards, and the civil services accountability to the %ublic had
been very limited& 3ith %oliticisation and declining disci%line, internal
accountability stands seriously eroded, #hile accountability via legislative
revie# and the legal system has not been su""iciently e""ective& <"ten too
much inter"erence by =udiciary 5as in 9ihar6 in day to day administration
"urther cri%%les administration& 9ut strengthening internal administrative
accountability is rarely su""icient, because internal controls are o"ten
ine""ectiveLes%ecially #hen the social ethos tolerates collusion bet#een
su%ervisors and subordinates&
'<ut#ard accountability*, there"ore, is essential "or greater res%onsiveness to
the needs o" the %ublic and thus to im%rove service 2uality& /e%artments such
as the Police and Rural /evelo%ment, #hich have more dealings #ith the
%eo%le, should be assessed annually by an inde%endent team consisting o"
%ro"essionals such as :ournalists, retired :udges, academicians, activists,
E0<s, and even retired government servants& (hese should look at their
%olicies and %er"ormance, and suggest constructive ste%s "or their
im%rovement& At %resent the system o" ins%ections is elaborate but o"ten
%recludes the %ossibility o" a "resh look as they are totally governmental and
rigid& (he system should be made more o%en so that the civil service can gain
"rom the e)%ertise o" outsiders in the mode o" donor agency evaluations o"
%ro:ects& It is heartening to note that 0<I has already started doing so "or
some o" its "lagshi% %rogrammes, such as in education and health& Petitions
under the Right to In"ormation Act 5R(I6 have also em%o#ered citi-ens, but its
use is still dominated by civil servants on %ersonnel issues o" a%%ointments
and %romotions&
Priorities "or enhancing both internal and e)ternal civil service accountability
should include, im%roved in"ormation systems and accountability "or in%uts7
better audit7 "ace$to$"ace meetings #ith consumers and user grou%s7
%ublishing budget summaries in a "orm accessible to the %ublic7 a stronger
%er"ormance evaluation system7 scrutiny and active use o" 2uarterly and
annual re%orts7 and selective use o" contractual a%%ointments&
<ne #ay to bring in accountability is to start the system o" holding %ublic
hearings in matters %ertaining to the #orks handled by each o""ice& Prominent
social #orkers and E0<s should be associated #ith this e)ercise "or more
%roductive results& (he teams #ould undertake surveys o" 2uality o" service
delivery in key areas7 scrutini-e %olicies, %rogrammes and delivery
mechanisms& Civil servant*s vie#s on #ork constraints and re%orting "raud
and corru%tion should be elicited& (he revie#s conducted should also "orm the
basis o" time bound changes and im%rovements #hich should be monitored&
,
It is informally learnt t#at t#e 13
t#
0inance 'ommission #as recommended gi+ing
additional funds to states %#o do %ell on certain indicators, suc# as I$R, forest co+er,
etc) T#is %ould be a good beginning, if t#e suggestion is acceted by *1I)
2
Eeedless to say that such com%rehensive re"orms need "or their sustenance
strong %olitical and administrative #ill "rom the to%& In its absence, re"orms
remain only on %a%er& Accountability has to be induced7 it cannot be decreed
by "iat& Accountability is a result o" a com%le) set o" incentives, trans%arency
in %rocesses and decision making, and checks and balances at various levels
o" government& (hus, the Prime .inister and his senior colleagues IA+ in 0<I
have to %ut their #eight behind ne# accountability systems and revie# it "rom
time to time&
Personnel issues
A%%ointments and trans"ers are t#o #ell$kno#n areas #here the evolution o"
"irm criteria can be easily circumvented in the name o" administrative e""icacy&
Even i" the "iscal climate does not allo# large numbers o" ne# a%%ointments,
a game o" musical chairs through trans"ers can al#ays bring in huge rentals to
corru%t o""icials and %oliticians& As tenures shorten both e""iciency and
accountability su""er& In ?&P&, the average tenure o" an IA+ o""icer in the last
"ive years is said to be as lo# as "our months8
(he to%ic o" reducing %olitical inter"erence is a sensitive one, "or the right to
trans"er government servants is clearly vested #ithin the %olitical leadershi% o"
the +tates under Article ;1A o" the Indian Constitution, #hich maintains that
civil servants serve at the !%leasure! o" the ruling authorities& Met "e# #ould
disagree that this %o#er is o"ten abused by both government servants and
%oliticians $$ the "ormer in seeking %rime %ostings, and the latter "or making
civil service %liable& (he %rime concern o" the %olitical e)ecutive no# is not to
make %olicies but to manage :obs and "avourable %ostings "or their
constituents& (his means a high degree o" centralisation at the level o" the
state government and little accountability&
+everal re"orms are needed here& Po#ers o" trans"ers o" all class II o""icers
should be #ith Head o" the /e%artment, and not #ith government& At least "or
higher ranks o" the civil services e&g& Chie" +ecretary and the Police Chie",
%ostings may be made contractual "or a "i)ed %eriod o" at least t#o years 5as
is being done in 0<I "or +ecretaries in the .inistries o" Home, /e"ence, and
1inance6, and o""icers be monetarily com%ensated i" removed be"ore the
%eriod o" the contract #ithout their consent or e)%lanation&
+tability inde) should be calculated "or im%ortant %osts, such as +ecretaries,
/e%uty Commissioners, and /istrict +u%erintendent o" Police& An average o"
at least t#o years "or each grou% be "i)ed, so that although government #ould
be "ree to trans"er an o""icer be"ore t#o years #ithout calling "or his
e)%lanation, the average must be maintained above t#o years
N
& (his #ould
mean that "or every short tenure some one else must have a su""iciently long
tenure to maintain the average&
At the same time it must be recogni-ed that some %osts #ould have more
attraction "or the em%loyees than others& (hese may be due to better location
#here good schools or chea% government housing is available, more
challenges, the %ull o" %rivate %ractice "or doctors, or sim%ly more
-
*1I #as acceted t#is suggestion, and #as made c#anges in t#e I3S Rules, #o%e+er
t#e c#oice of osts for %#ic# t#is %ould be alicable #as been left to t#e states)
(redictably, no state #as declared any ost under t#e ne% Rules)
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o%%ortunities to make money& E)ce%t "or the Indian 1oreign +ervice, no other
service categorises %osts according to its demand so as to ensure that
everyone gets a "air chance to serve on both im%ortant and di""icult 5such as
in remote and tribal areas6 assignments& <ne should categorise %osts in each
de%artment according to the nature o" duties and geogra%hical location into A,
9 and C %osts, and chart out the kind o" mi) that should dictate the average
o""icer*s s%an o" career& At least "or IA+ o""icers, one should be able to kno#
through #ebsites that total trans%arency is being observed and #hether some
'#ell connected* o""icials have not been able to get %lum %ostings and avoid
di""icult areas&
Summing up
A good civil service is necessary but not su""icient "or good governance7 a bad
civil service is su""icient but not necessary "or bad governance& (hus, a
dila%idated civil service has been a key "actor in A"rica*s economic decline&
Conversely, a strong civil service is one o" several reasons #hy in several
east Asian economies, es%ecially =a%an, +inga%ore, and +outh Korea,
authoritarianism has co$e)isted #ith e)cellent economic %er"ormance& It can
be argued that the link bet#een authoritarianism and economic decline, so
evident in A"rica, has been ino%erative in these Asian countries largely
because o" their strong civil service& 0reater res%onsiveness and o%enness
can legitimately be demanded o" %ublic administrations in many East Asian
countries& Clearly, civil service systems in most East Asian countries cannot
be considered a %roblem7 they are, rather, an im%ortant %art o" the solution to
these countries* other %roblems&
(he situation in many Indian states #ho are res%onsible "or achieving the
.illennium /evelo%ment 0oals is di""erent& A vast ga% e)ists bet#een the
stated and unstated ob:ectives& <n %a%er the avo#ed ob:ective o" government
is to give clean administration and #ork "or the %oor, but lucrative %osts are
auctioned to the highest bidder& Corru%tion is ram%ant& Peo%le have
un"ortunately acce%ted the %osition as fait accompli and resigned themselves
to their "ate& (hey too tend to seek short cuts and e)%loit the system by
breaking rules or a%%roaching ma"ia gangs and %oliticians "or "avours&
0overnance re"orms are intractable under a 'kle%tocracy* that e)%loits national
#ealth "or its o#n bene"it and is, by de"inition, uninterested in trans%arency
and accountability& A %liable and unskilled civil service is actually desirable
"rom its %oint o" vie#$$%ublic em%loyees de%endent on the regimes
discretionary largesse are "orced to become corru%t, cannot 2uit their :obs,
and reluctantly become the regimes accom%lices& Providing "inancial
assistance "rom 0<I to such states #ithout linking it #ith %er"ormance and
re"orms #ould be a #aste o" resources& In all other cases, re"orm is
manageable, albeit di""icult, com%le), and slo#& (here"ore, considering that
the states #ould need e)ternal %ressure on them to im%rove outcomes,
certain control by 0<I over the IA+ and %olicy domain in social sector is
necessary, till such time that the states sho# signs o" im%rovement in
governance&
10