JOIN USPoliticisation of civil services
The IAS and IPS owe their existence to Sardar Patel - it was he, as the home minister in the interim government in October 1945, who got a resolution adopted at a conference of the Congress chief ministers authorising the setting up of IAS and IPS to succeed ICS and IP.
The opposition, particularly to IAS, has since been increasing manifold. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, seems to have expressed his unhappiness about the IAS in his speech in Parliament in February 2021. He said, “...IAS ban gaye matlab woh fertiliser ka kaarkhana bhi chalayega, chemical ka kaarkhana bhi chalayega, IAS ho gaya toh woh hawai jahaz bhi chalayega. Yeh kaunsi badi taakat bana kar rakh di hai humne? Babuon ke haath mein desh de karke hum kya karne waale hain?...” (An IAS officer runs fertilisers and chemicals factories and aeroplanes. What is this extra power centre we have created? What are we going to do by resting the nation in the hands of officials?)
These remarks by the PM in the context of a debate on private sector investment were meant to emphasise the importance of private-sector professionals but it has certainly given further ammunition to the critics of IAS. The Central government wants to induct a considerable number of outside professionals laterally at the joint secretaries level after already inducting a few joint secretaries. These developments have clearly put the IAS on notice as quite a few CMs and other politicians would be happy to see the back of the IAS sooner than later.
Has the IAS lived up to the expectations of Sardar Patel? If not, what are the reasons for the dilution in the standards of conduct among its members? It is unfortunate that the IAS has become a heterogenous service whose direct recruits’ age, at the entry, varies from about 22 years to 35 years. They also come from a very diverse background and have diverse expectations from the service. This makes it difficult for some to mould themselves to the requirements of the service. They are also politically much more aware of the limitations of their powers vis-à-vis their political masters. This has, to a large extent, resulted in many members of the service coming closer to the political executives in the states as well as at the Centre, quite often short-circuiting the hierarchical chain of command. Some of the members of the service also develop political ambitions and for that, they are willing to compromise their values of honesty and integrity. The IAS Association and the senior members have hardly any influence over the conduct of individual members of the service. There is practically no espirit de corp in the IAS. In its absence, it is merely a service in which most of its members pursue their lonely journey.
Some civil servants have been joining various political parties from time to time. However, it is only the recent entry, of quite a few retired senior civil servants into politics and also in the central cabinet, which has sent disturbing signals both to the senior civil services as well as to the political parties. It is not only likely to tempt more and more senior civil servants to eye for such post-retirement employment but it is equally a matter of grave concern for the rank and file of all political parties as it will block many of them from climbing up the ladder of their political hierarchy. I would not like to comment on how the rank and file of political parties may react to it. However, let me address it from the point of view of the civil services in general and IAS in particular.
Firstly, politicisation of civil services poses an existential threat to its very relevance to Indian administration as it is supposed to function independently of political considerations. Secondly, any politicised civil service cannot be expected to give free, fair and unbiased advice to their pollical bosses which are also one of the very fundamental expectations enshrined in its conduct rules. Thirdly, it will have a very damaging impact on the hierarchical chain of command which, again, is one of the very important aspects of organised civil services.
Introspect seriously
Members of the IAS must seriously introspect the direction in which it is rapidly moving and the long-term consequences it may have on its very relevance and existence. There is still time to save it from its extinction as India needs a strong IAS, more than ever before. It still has a large number of its members who are not cultivating politicians and who are discharging their duties expected of them. What is needed is to discourage them from being politicised. Here are a few suggestions for that:
1. No civil servant should be allowed to join any political party and hold a political office, including a ministerial position, within at least four years from the date of his retirement on superannuation. However, those civil servants who still have five or more years to superannuate may be permitted to join any political party after a cooling-off period of two years. Civil services members who are willing to forego their pension need not have any cooling off period.
2. Selection of civil servants for various regulatory bodies and other statutory/constitutional positions should be done through an independent constitutional body whose members cannot be removed by the pollical executive and such members must be selected and appointed to such positions when they still have at least three years to superannuate.
3. No civil servant shall be given any extension of service under any circumstances.
4. The practice of appointing civil servants as advisors or governors/Lt governors or nominating them to state legislatures and parliament should be completely stopped.
I wonder whether these suggestions will find favour with the IAS and other services as well as the governments at the states and the Centre. I will be happy if at least it leads to a public debate as it is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians and civil servants alone to decide as it affects the entire nation.
(The writer is a retired IAS officer)