Reforming Civil Service

Author(s): K. Ramamoorthy
Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 33, No. 12 (Mar. 21-27, 1998), p. 676
Published by: Economic and Political Weekly
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4406556
Accessed: 21-11-2017 06:55 UTC

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communalisation of the society, will increase
manifold and simultaneously the added
'glory' of providing the stable government
will help it garer its vote base to further
extent. The argument that on coming to
power it will expose itself, is part optimism
Reforming Civil Service
K Ramamoorthy
PRABHU Ghate's article 'Reforming the
wrong in complaining about monopolisation
Civil Service: Meeting Crucial Need for
Expertise' (EPW, February 14-20) has little
to offer by way of either new insight or new
ideas. In fact, the article contains old generali-
,sations without any additional evidence to
substantiate the earlier complaints. In such
categories will fall statements such as India's
record in implementing anti-poverty
programmes comparing unfavourably with
many developing countries on the count
"partly for lack of commitment and partly
for lack of expertise on the part of bureau-
cracy" and the statement that "because civil
servants so often serve the private interest
of politicians at the central, state and district
levels, the system has found political
support". In the same category falls the other
statement "India is probably the only indus-
trialising country in which an elite generalist
civil service virtually monopolises the top
jobs with very little expertise" and the general
statement that "the lack of expertise in top
positions because ofgeneralism and doctrine
of rotation is an even greater problem in the
centre". A layperson might express such per-
ceptions but they could not have found a
place in a study supposed to have been done
after 'soul searching' to provide a "challenge
to the bureaucracy to attain new standdrds
of excellence". That hierarchical layering of
the system was antithetical to developmental
administration or that routine administration
had been completely neglected leading to
"widespread apathy and corruption among
lower staff" and there is "very little
specialisation or concentration of developing
expertise" are criticisms which are not new.
Admittedly, there is much that is wrong
with the civil service and this writer for one
would not like the impression to get away
that there is corruption only among lower
level staff. Even the most sympathetic critic
would not hesitate to put level of corruption
in the broader sense of favour being shown
on grounds of nepotism, likes and dislikes,
etc, in the higher civil service system to the
extent of 20 per cent. Where the stakes are
higher, corruption level also increases
notwithstanding the fact of directly recruited
officers being the incumbents. The writer
should therefore have addressed himself to
the basic question of relevance of the civil of relevance should continue to be the main level would be more appropriate, as by that
service in the modern context and not question to which one has to address oneself. time, the latent skills would have flowered
confined himself to merely a question of Nor is it true that lack of specialisationwith superficial attributes also having had
'creative adaptation' much as the latterisisthe bane of the system. In Gujarat cadretime to wither. Radical steps in such direction
necessary for existing incumbents. to which the writerbelonged 'transfer' diseasealone can have meaning in having a central
had not become endemic. And officers used cadre, and not mere 'creative adoption'.
In the first instance, the writer is totally
676 Economic and Political Weekly March 21, 1998
This content downloaded from 14.139.213.70 on Tue, 21 Nov 2017 06:55:34 UTC
and part,a possibility if BJP treads the path to be given full tenures and also used usually
of imposing its agenda in full. Its subtle to work in specific areas. But the real problem
manoeuvres and long-term goals are not is the problem of 'space' available for the
projected high and are not much taken note administrator to operate in his field. The
of. While evaluating this party's prospects, system of checks and balances and the
pluralist system that we have evolved does
this has to be kept in mind.
not leave any scope for the civil servant by
himself to lend any direction as such. For
example, in the education field with which
the writer is acquainted, a conscious decision
was taken to arm the Secondary Education
Board with academic and inspectorial powers
while the administration concerned itself
of top posts. In point of fact, over the years,
with co-ordination and grant giving. The
the political system has been asserting itself
and has been taking decisions independentlyinstitution of university in the field of higher
making civil service just an adjunct to theeducatiori has also a similar role. The pluralist
system has its own merits, but the country
decision process. The large operating systems
of railways and posts or for that matter the
is yet to develop the properskills to effectively
military and judicial machines are manned administer a pluralist system without being
by cadres which are expertise oriented and a mere interfering agency. Similarly we also
seem to be not sufficiently adept at
the question of generalist administrator
monopolising decision-making in generaladministering
is large systems either.
factually incorrect. The economic and Reference to Jhas and Boothalingams are
revenue departments at the centre are also misplaced in today's context. They served
mainly manned by specialist cadres, be they in an entirely different scenario with a
of IRS, IES or ISS. And what about the non- different ilk of political masters compared
government sector employing the now to present period. This latter aspect has not
ubiquitous MBAs of all shades at not so been taken into account in the training aspect
marginal salaries and who are also similarlyof the civil service. More than in the past,
recruited as generalist elites? the traditional qualities required of a civil
Itisnotthe 'transferindustry' orthe"learing servant, viz, integrity, independence and
process far longer than the standard tenureanonymity are now imperative to administer
of three years" which is the malaise of thethe present system and not the bumptious
system. These are alibis. Transfers are in manytypes who pretend to be more powerful than
cases, the softer option to ease out thethey are for which, "aloofness and hierarchial
unsuitable because of the straitjacket system rigidity" had to be cultivated. The need for
of disciplinary procedure, whereby any ad-operating space and-independence cannot be
ministrative measure can be questioned atoveremphasised. The institution of Supreme
the altarof 'natural justice' with the administ-Court is the best example for this purpose.
rative tribunals also making theircontribution.But even here, F S Nariman has rightly
The present writer had raised the issue ofbrought out in his brilliant article 'The
Judiciary and the Role of Pathfinders'
the relevance of the civil service itself
for a discussion forum in Nirnay (Vol (1987(3)
I, SCC): "In the judicial firmament
this past 37 years there have been many
Issue 1 and Vol II, Issue 1), a house journal
of the Sardar Patel Institute of Public bright and brilliant stars but the pointers -
the Pathfinders - have been few. I can name
Administration, the apex training institution
of the government of Gujarat and the only
two two..." Something akin to this kind of
discussants, one a former chief minister independence
and and operating space in a speci-
fied domain, understandably in a smaller
another a senior professor of the Indian
Institute of Management, Ahmedabadmeasure,
had can alone ensure achievers of
excellence. The need is also for a different
this to say. While Babubhai Jashbhai Patel,
the ex-chief minister commented that "if for
recruitment system at regional levels with
no other reason, at least for continuity, regional
civil emphasis as was the procedure
service has to be there", while lamenting adopted
at for the old Indian police. Manage-
the same time that "they are also more ment skills can be imparted at recognised
expensive and they are less painstakingprofessional
and institutes. An attempt was made
by giving to such institution refreshers
studious (This in the year 1984, much before
Fifth Central Pay Commission), Dwijen training slots; but this turned out to be mere
window dressing, the training institutions
Tripathi had stated "it seems to be that unless
the relationship between the politicianalso
andtaking such courses as an extra buck-
earning
the civil servants is restructured, we can do exercise to sustain the myth of
precious little to enhance the relevance of
generating own finances. Only a lateral entry
the civil service". A decade later this issue for the central civil service at the directors'
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