Hindu Editorial Analysis : 24-December-2024
India’s bureaucracy, especially the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), is crucial to the country’s governance and policy implementation. However, in recent years, there have been growing concerns about the inefficiencies, politicisation, and lack of specialisation within the system. To modernise and enhance the effectiveness of governance, urgent reforms are needed.
The Role of IAS
The IAS has long been regarded as the backbone of India’s administrative machinery, often referred to as the country’s “steel frame.” It plays a central role in policy implementation and governance. Originating from the British-era Indian Civil Service (ICS), the IAS has shaped the country’s administration post-Independence. However, as the economy and society evolve, the IAS’s existing structure is proving inadequate to meet modern demands.
Key Challenges in the IAS System
Several issues currently undermine the effectiveness of the IAS, including:
- Politicisation: Political interference in bureaucratic decisions, such as transfers, promotions, and suspensions based on political loyalty, weakens morale and professionalism.
- Lack of Specialisation: IAS officers undergo generalist training and frequently rotate across various departments. This prevents them from acquiring the deep expertise needed to address complex issues in specific policy areas.
- Corruption and Inefficiency: India ranks moderately on the World Bank’s government effectiveness index, reflecting systemic issues like corruption and inefficiency in policy execution.
- Centralisation: The concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has diminished the role of bureaucrats, sidelining their valuable input in policymaking.
Previous Efforts at Reform
Over the years, several commissions and directives have attempted to address these issues:
- Administrative Reforms Commissions (ARCs): Recommendations from the First (1966) and Second ARCs (2005) included lowering the entry age for civil services, introducing performance-based promotions, and encouraging lateral entry to bring in external expertise.
- Supreme Court Directive (2013): This directive called for the establishment of civil services boards to monitor transfers and postings, but its implementation has been weak.
- Lateral Entry: To combat the limitations of the IAS-centric model, the government introduced lateral recruitment for senior bureaucratic positions. While this initiative has brought in experts from the private sector and academia, it has faced resistance within the IAS due to concerns over morale and promotions.
Accountability and Global Lessons
To improve the system, data-driven performance metrics and enhanced transparency are being pushed. Lessons can also be drawn from global models like the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE focuses on:
- Streamlining operations by eliminating inefficiencies.
- Introducing performance metrics to measure effectiveness.
- Encouraging leadership from experts across different sectors.
India could adopt a similar advisory framework to identify inefficiencies, evaluate bureaucratic performance, and streamline decision-making.
Challenges to Reform
Reform efforts face significant hurdles, including:
- Resistance within the IAS: Seniority-based progression and a generalist approach are deeply entrenched within the system, making change difficult.
- Political Interference: Political influence on bureaucratic processes continues to undermine reforms.
- Implementation Gaps: Many reform recommendations have not been fully implemented due to bureaucratic inertia and lack of political consensus. The Civil Services Standards, Performance, and Accountability Bill (2010), for example, has stalled due to these challenges.
Why In News
India’s governance challenges demand urgent reforms to modernise its bureaucracy, particularly the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), which has long served as the backbone of the country’s administrative machinery. However, as the nation evolves and faces new complexities in governance, the existing bureaucratic structure, rooted in colonial-era practices, needs significant transformation to address the demands of a modern, dynamic economy and society.
MCQs about India’s Bureaucratic Challenges and the Need for Reform
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Which of the following is one of the major challenges faced by the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)?
A. Lack of political interference
B. Lack of specialisation
C. Over-dependence on technology
D. High level of transparency
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What did the Administrative Reforms Commissions (ARCs) recommend to improve the IAS system?
A. Eliminating the IAS entirely and replacing it with private sector experts
B. Allowing performance-based promotions and lateral entry of domain experts
C. Banning political involvement in bureaucratic matters
D. Merging IAS with other civil services
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What is one of the key features of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) model that India could adopt?
A. Promoting IAS officers to senior government positions
B. Streamlining operations by eliminating redundancies and inefficiencies
C. Focusing solely on political reforms
D. Limiting lateral entry into bureaucratic positions
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What is the primary reason for resistance to reforms within the IAS?
A. Concerns about the financial cost of reforms
B. Fear of losing influence and career advancement due to lateral entry
C. The success of previous reforms
D. Overwhelming public support for the reforms
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