Report My Signal- Professional Matters

What stops us from getting the best Public Service? Why to continue with Colonial Model?

There is an urgent need for an all India debate on the subject 

of continuation of Colonial Model of IAS Bureaucracy.
No debate is required, but urgent action is needed. Debate is only essential if there is any doubt in what is the need of the hour!!
Harbhajan Singh
Lt Gen

Views of some former Retired/Ex IAS officers (B.S.Raghavan, Shankar Sharan, Dr S Sanjeev and many others) are given below.

A. Views of B.S Raghvan IAS (Retd Secy Govt of India)

 

Appointments based on one time competitive examination with no periodical weeding out of the incompetent and corrupt induces smugness and militates against accountability.

 

2. Healthy debate on some alternate model is necessary.

 

3. Originally IAS was seen as replica of the ICS- incorruptible, independent, public spirited and result oriented. Unfortunately the system did not work as originally contemplated. All this has been eroded in the last 60 years.

 

4. While the Armed Forces, Foreign Service and many other Central Services are indispensable and necessary for nation building, but without IAS country would not come to stand still.

 

5. There are instances when non IAS persons when posted into top echelons usually earmarked for IAS, distinguished 

themselves by their higher caliber and competence.

 

B. Views of Dr. S. Sanjeev PhD- former Secretary and Commissioner

 

If IAS as a Service does not want to be ousted, it must establish as its role mission the delivery of world-class standard…. Otherwise IAS is destined to be guillotined in the not too 

distant future.

 

2. Today IAS is a smashed up auto-riksha. They are busy in filling TA/DA forms, chasing after their pay slips, ensuring their pay scales remain higher than other services, chasing car/house loans and other bits and pieces of Personnel ministry, local treasury pursuing with Accountant General office lest they 

have trouble on retirement in getting right amount of Pension.

 

3. Most of the IAS officers confirm their own poor ability of leadership by passing the buck to politicians. There are umpteen areas where political leaders do not play any role in their work and functioning….Dr. S. Sanjeev has mentioned a large number of such areas in his well known book Breaking Free of Nehru. Let’s Unleash India available on Website <http://bfn.sabhlokcity.com>

 

4. Whole world public services are evolving and reforming. In IAS it is total stagnation in ideas

We apply principle of competition and merit in assembling cricket team but do not apply in IAS bureaucracy.

 

5. Till date in the last six decades IAS officers have not made 

any distinction between Independence, Freedom and Swaraj (governance to citizens). This lack of distinction has led to ineffective and weak local governments. Cities after cities are becoming urban nightmare under their non accountable and 

non transparent administration. Etc etc…

Views of others

Politics the noblest Endeavour of Gandhi, Nehru, Patel under the strong steel frame of ICS officers has been made the dirty mafia Politics by the rusted steel frame of IAS bureaucracy’s selfish, non transparent and non accountable advice by ensuring that needle of blame always moves towards political leaders.

 

The famous saying In Bihar mentioned by an IAS former Secy to Govt of India- Bihar cadre- “IAS officers are “Garam, Naram and Be-Sharam” After training in the IAS Training Academy they are garam- highly enthusiastic, soon under political and senior officers pressures they become Naram- insensitive and players in shuttlecock game in regard to taking decisions and later they become Be-Sharam- freely resort to corrupt practices and encourage young IAS officers who are inclined to corrupt practices. All honest IAS officers are sidelined as OSD (officers on Special duties).

 

Ground Realities

Many Newspapers mentioned during recent Parliamentary Elections that in Mumbai many urban voters’ names were eliminated in the Voters lists. A study was made for Gurgaon Parliamentary Constituency. For a population of over 20 lakhs, the voters names in the lists were about 8.5 lakhs i.e. about 40% of the population against all India 71% of the population.  Again out of 8.5 lakhs urban voters were 2.36 lakhs and over 6 lakhs were rural voters. Thus Gurgaon a Millennium Urban City became a Rural Village as per Voters Lists. Clearly about 6 lakhs urban voters names (about one lakh having voters ID cards) were removed by/under orders of the District Electoral officer i.e. D.C Gurgaon (an IAS officer)

CEC of India on residents’ complaint removed the D.C and asked the new DC to prepare an up to date correct Voters list. New DC also could not do so. He was also removed on complaint from residents/political parties.

 

In future Murder of Democracy is likely to happen if vested interests over take the democratic rights of the citizens. IAS 

officers need to become transparent, accountable, public spirited and result oriented to save the country being rated as a failed 

state.The worst activity of IAS bureaucracy was they have 

virtually destroyed Local Governance system established by 

British Govt. Under their rule we had some of the world best 

cities Bangalore, Delhi, Lahore, Lyallpur, Hyderabad and many others. IAS bureaucracy by destroying local governments, have made Indian cities as urban nightmare.

They devise all arguments so that Amendments numbers 73 and 

74 to the Constitution of India are not implemented. They pass on this blame on political leaders and continue avoiding effective

and strong local governments in India.

 

Under IAS bureaucracy maladministration, India is now 

visualized as a nearly Failed State as per World Development Report 2009 based on the analysis of an International Agency on 

12 indicators/parameters.

With regards,

Prem Sabhlok

P.S

Some more views received from IAS officers (Retd)

1. Millions of confused socialist bacteria swarming in the brain of Indian leaders and IAS bureaucrats has become the cause of national cancerous disease of corruption and poverty.  

2. ICS officers were never accountable to the people of India but 

to the British rulers. IAS officers are trying to perpetuate the same and have become non transparent and non accountable to people 

of India but only to their political bosses Thus feudal outdated colonial structure continues.

3. IAS officers’ interest is not aligned with public interest and 

they feed public on false promises.

4. There is no internal competition and as such 100% reach the top level in bureaucracy. Now lately they have started grabbing Head of the Department posts of Central Services as well- it can lead rebellion within the different services.    

5. We are not making IAS as whipping boy but IAS as Service. It 

is now neither a Service nor Administration. Need to have accountable, specialized contractual officers on hire and fire 

basis at the Top in ALL services.

6. Malady is far deeper than projected in terms of simple IAS bashing. British style colonial service neither civil nor service should be replaced by American style Civil Service. IAS is no longer the first/top choice of bright candidates. Revenue Services are becoming the top choice. All services should terminate at 

Joint Secy level or even Director Level. (Retd IAS Chief Secy Maharashtra)

7. Sardar Vallabh Bahai Patel saw IAS as Steel Frame of Bureaucracy like replica of ICS- incorruptible, independent, 

public spirited and result oriented.

Now after 60 years all this has been eroded and the perception is self serving, insensitive and non accountable. (Retd IAS Secy to Government of India)

8. If IAS as service is scrapped country would not come to stand still.  (Ex Dy. Army Chief)

 

I have received umpteen more views BUT not a single in support 

of continuation of IAS as Public Welfare Service.

The country is anxiously waiting for some remarks in favour 

of IAS as Public service even from retired/serving IAS 

officers.

Regards,

Prem Sabhlok