Why in News?

A spate of recent research, combining unprecedented access to

data on the career profiles of IAS officers with granular measurement
EFORMS
of local development outcomes as well as electoral and political
dynamics, sheds new light on various important questions relating to IAS.

CHARACTERISTICS OF
KEY INSIGHTS INTO THE IAS INDIAN CIVIL SERVICES
A competent, functional IAS is necessary Officers with strong local ties - often
condition (not sufficient) for improving linked to improved public service delivery Meritocratic recruitment via Predictable, long-term career
governance outcomes (institutional thinking prevents allotting 1 a competitive examination incentives that reward seniority
2
home cadre) 3

Initial skills shape career trajectories,

Political interference generates substantial A distinct (albeit rigid) set of
but in the long term training or acquiring
inefficiency allocation and assignment Mandarin-style service
specialized skills are important
procedures
Individual bureaucrats can have direct & Greater political competition does not

`
measurable impacts on health, education, necessarily lead to better bureaucratic
and poverty outcomes performance

CHALLENGES

FAILING STATE OF IAS DECLINING HUMAN CAPITAL DIMINISHED INDEPENDENCE

Not functioning at
its highest capacity
Lack of specialized
expertise
Report by a political
?
consultancy - Indian ? ?
bureaucracy is the
most inefficient in
Asia
Perverse incentives for Increasingly attractive private-sector opportunities Short average tenure in
career advancement Culture of political posts - as low as six
interference months in Uttar Pradesh
According to a study, successful candidates
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Perception of widespread
corruption Are less likely to
Take an average POOR INCENTIVES FOR ADVANCEMENT
Leading political scientist
hold a postgraduate
degree
4 of four attempts
wrote, “the bureaucracy
confuses ends with means, Spend a majority Bias toward Even poorly performing
rules with outcomes, Are getting older of their twenties seniority officers are given
control with efficiency.” preparing for civil promotion
services

LACK OF SPECIALIZATION MALFEASANCE

Endemic political
Taken together, several interference can
IAS - a generalist Domain knowledge Stiff resistance from incumbent IAS
of the factors listed lead to rent-seeking
service has become more `

officers on civil service reform

above are major drivers behavior even from
valuable
of malfeasance honest officers

REFORM AGENDA SOLUTIONS

Thwarting Political Interference

Protect against arbitrary, politically motivated transfers
and postings of civil servants
Government should prioritize action
on draft bills:
Data: data on civil servants' abilities, education, &
training for initial placements. Later, performance
metrics to be used for promotion and allocation Public Services Bill (2007),

Lateral Exit: compulsory retirement through a

Civil Services Bill (2009), and
transparent and uniform system of performance review

Civil Services Standards, Performance,

State cadre: experiment with increasing local officers & and Accountability Bill (2010)
track their performance

Implement SC's order of civil service boards

nd
to manage the tenure, transfer, and posting of
According to 2 ARC recommendations: All India Services

Lowering the permissible age of entry into 2nd ARC suggestions:

the civil services
A system of performance appraisal that privilege
Establishing national institutes of public domain competence over subjective annual
administration for aspiring civil service performance appraisal reports
applicants

All promotions be based on successful Lateral Entry: for joint-secretary level and above,
completion of mandatory training open them up to candidates from all senior
instead of seniority administrative services, such as the IES, IRS

To strengthen accountability mechanisms: Opening up additional secretary positions to

2 intensive reviews at the 14 and 20 year individuals from the private sector
marks

Fix a minimum tenure for senior Important Civil Service Conduct rules
posts, and for preventing Nepotism:

Establish safeguards against arbitrary Rule 4(1) for impartiality, objectivity and
dismissal Non-Partisanship in matters of employment

The Centre had constituted a task force to study Rule 4(3) for Probity in governance and
cadre structures of various central services to Integrity
check stagnation level and other issues
For Efficiency and Quality of service delivery:
review the performance of every official when
they reach the 50-55 age bracket and complete
30 years in service
`

WAY FORWARD

In 2015, center introduced a rule Further research is needed to

Abolishing ideas of to allow civil servants to be removed
IAS are not practical from service in public interest even
if the evidence against them is not
Understand the impact of local officers on development outcomes,
sufficient to initiate disciplinary
proceedings
Pay by performance (Efficiency):
last three pay commissions Getting more out of the bureaucracy is Develop data on bureaucratic efficiency, and
suggested to link a bureaucrat's an essential element of administrative
salary to performance reform

Systematically examine the workings of state-level bureaucracies

By Ministry:

Codifying ethical norms and practices

Providing norms for qualifying and disqualifying a public functionary

Structure of decision making to be made transparent, procedures to

be simplified