A new batch of young and ambitious men and women with determination to be policy makers have passed the examinations for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Training will make them jack-of-all trade bureaucrats. It is a great achievement of the Indian administrative system that it attracts fine young talent to join the government despite more attractive career options.
Unfortunately, the system doesn?t do that well in nurturing young talent in a productive manner. The real problem is the rate at which officers are shuffled around from one sphere of work to another. So, for example, an officer who is appointed as the joint secretary or indeed secretary in the ministry of textiles might have been transferred from a ministry as different as education or law. And just as the new joint secretary/secretary of textiles begins to learn the intricacies of the ministry and the attached departments, he or she may be moved to renewable energy or agriculture. A terrible waste of a learning process.One of the major reasons for India?s laggard performance in key sectors like rural development, primary education and healthcare, power generation and agriculture is owed to indifferent and non-committed bureaucrats. There should be a serious rethink on the training and deployment of IAS officers.
A young IAS officer, after the statutory stints in districts and lower rungs of various departments, should be allowed to opt for a particular field. A system of specialisation was introduced some time ago into the British civil service system, a system on which our own civil service is based.
Along with specialisation, bureaucrats should also be given greater autonomy, at least in the sphere of policy implementation. The transition of certain public sector firms from loss-making white elephants to profit-making giants, challenging even the performance of the private sector, was in large part due to the functional freedom given to their CEOs. One of the most important tasks in the years ahead is to improve the delivery of public services. Bureaucrats who function like CEOs may yet be the best agents of change.
joseph.vackayil@expressindia.com
