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System Under Attack: SLOW ADMINISTRATIVE COLLAPSE, By Poonam I Kaushish; New Delhi, 22 September 200 Print E-mail

POLITICAL DIARY

New Delhi, 22 September 2007

System Under Attack

SLOW ADMINISTRATIVE COLLAPSE

By Poonam I Kaushish

           

India’s much-maligned and decrepit “administrative system” is in the throes of two political crises. One, precipitated by the Indo-US ‘nuclear’ tug-of-war between the Congress-led UPA Government and the Left. Two, triggered by the faith vs  myth war of words on the Ram Setu between the Saffron Parivar, DMK and the Congress. At stake is the silly chair called India Raj. No matter that both the crisis may end up driving one more nail in the coffin of India’s decaying democratic system and the rule of law.

 

Sadly, in this acerbic warring, the delicate balance between Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary has been disturbed. If yesterday we were busy shedding tears over the withering of Parliament, today we should be preparing to weep for our increasingly debased Executive. Not only have the powers-that-be become all powerful, causing grave concern all round, but their feudal ad hocism and rule by law has become the bane of our democratic set up.

 

Uttar Pradesh or should one say Ulta Pradesh, today represents the ugly truism of India’s executive and administrative system gone horribly wrong. Chief Minister Mayawati’s melodramatic sacking of over 10,000 policemen recruited during the erstwhile Mulayam Singh rule is symptomatic of the rot that is afflicting the Executive today and how it is spreading thick and fast.

 

Mayawati’s excuse for the mass cancellation is that the recruitment was done without proper selection and purely on the basis of caste and creed ---- Yadavs, Muslims and Thakurs. The issue is not whether Mayawati was justified in taking the action she did. Nor is it about her action smacking of vendetta against her bete noir Mulayam Singh.

 

Either way, in this termination nautanki the hapless aam aadmi and his ilk have got screwed.  What was their fault? That they believed in their mai-baap Sarkar? Sincerely went through the recruitment drill. Even paid hefty bribes, which they could ill afford, to the babu to do his job for which he gets his salary. Swore by scraps of papers confirming their appointment as policemen. Raising the point: Who should bear the cross?

 

Obviously, the Executive comprising the political masters and the bureaucracy. Remember, this is not the first time that allegations of misdemeanour have been levelled by a new Chief Minister against his of her predecessor. Should not the Chief Minister have first taken strong action against the officials who comprised the recruitment board? Instead of cancelling the appointments en masse? Merely, suspending a few officials, who will be reinstated later is not good enough.

 

This incident has once again brought us face to face with one ugly truth. The politician and the bureaucrat are both hand in glove and working in tandem to mutual advantage. Why blame Mayawati? It is a given that with every change of political guard, babudom goes through an upheaval of transfers. Wherein powerful and lucrative slots are given to the chamchas.

 

In this scenario, a majority of babudom is more than happy in going along merrily with their political bosses. This enables them not only to secure speedy promotions without any regard to seniority or merit but also join the politician in looting the country. Rooted in the firm belief that, like their masters, they too are a law unto themselves.  Bringing matters to a pass where caste, corruption and chamchagiri alone count.

 

Over the years, officials have become used to dispensing patronage and not a few love the colour of money. Resulting in no accountability, no fear of removal, arrogantly earning big pay packets for non-productive work. Consequently, most babus have little interest in taking any initiatives and are willing to make self and boss-serving compromises with the fundamentals of administration.

 

This treacherous politician-official nexus was lucidly portrayed in the Vohra Committee report which, tragically continues to gather dust. Even Vohra as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Gujral conveniently forgot his own report and did nothing to implement any of its recommendations! The net result? The civil service today has no commitment to either the country or the people they are supposed to serve. Self is shamelessly placed before all else.

 

Is this what the founding fathers of our Republic had in mind?  Absolutely not. India’s first Home Minister, Sardar Patel, was happy to inherit from the Raj its “steel frame” of ICS officers fully believing that they would ensure the country’s unity and, as patriots, serve their own people even better. In fact, he prevailed upon Nehru not only to keep the steel frame intact but give the country an all-India Administrative Service along the same lines. The all-India services were intended to provide an institutional and reliable link between the Centre and the State administrations and ensure the country’s unity and integrity.

 

Sadly, the steel frame that we inherited from the British has been vandalized beyond recognition.  Right from the administration at the district level to the top of the ladder at the Centre --- Cabinet Secretary. Top slots in the administration are now filled in accordance with the whims and fancies of the political masters, contrary to established norms and practices in the civil services of leading democracies.

 

A cursory glance at New Delhi’s bureaucratic wonderland would have made Alice exclaim: “Who needs rabbits; bureaucrats will do!” Shockingly, the Cabinet Secretary and the other Secretaries are appointed courtesy the Prime Minister, not the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet in accordance with healthy practices.

 

Those favoured seldom retire. A recent example. The former Cabinet Secretary BK Chaturvedi, hand-picked by Manmohan Singh, was given an extension for a year and has now has been ‘accommodated’ in the Planning Commission. The list is endless.

 

If such is the condition at the Centre, can the States be far behind. In fact, matters there are worse. The plight of not only the All India Service officers, but also those of the Provincial and Subordinate Services can well be imagined. The Chief Secretary was once supposed to head the civil services in the State and place officers in the best interest of probity and efficiency. But he has progressively surrendered this right to the ruling politicians.

 

A case in point. In UP, Mayawati has created a history of sorts. For the first time a Cabinet Secretary has been appointed over and above the Chief Secretary. Naturally, handpicked by her. The reason forwarded is that if a Cabinet Secretary heads the bureaucracy at the Centre, why can’t she appoint one of her favourites to head the State administration?   

 

Lamented U.C. Agarwal, who was Secretary, Personnel under Indira Gandhi and thereafter Central Vigilance Commissioner: “Nearly every change of political guard leads to a large reshuffle of top officials in most States.  In fact, the political identification of officials is becoming so marked that even the bureaucracy itself is able to predict as to who will occupy which top post, if ‘X’, ‘Y’ or ‘Z’ political party or individual comes to power!”

 

What kind of governance lies ahead? A clue can be found in a recent survey of the probationers at the National Academy of Administration, which trains the IAS and other all-India services. It stated that only 32 per cent of the new recruits condemned corruption in the civil services. Only five per cent believed in harsh measures to reduce corruption.  Another 45 per cent believed that they were above the law. Cold statistics that mirror the harsh reality of how debased our system has become.

 

Clearly, the time has come to give serious thought to a qualitative change in the functioning of the Executive. If it is to be nursed back to health, we need better people, with good educational qualifications, wider exposure and sound moral values. Why the West lays great emphasis on background, upbringing, and education. Alternatively, follow the Chinese model and set an example in “eliminating” corruption. All it takes is one single bullet.

 

It would, indeed, be a great pity if India is deprived of one of the principal pillars of democratic governance and recklessly pushed towards unabashed feudalism. The writing is on the wall. The bureaucracy must shrug off its inertia and get back its professionalism based on absolute, not obsolete principles.

 

Civil servants need to give serious thought to their basic commitment to the country and collectively not allow the political bosses to play ducks and drakes with the system. They must restore the system to the glorious days of “I Command Service” (ICS). After all, Prime Ministers will come and Prime Ministers will go, but the Government will go on for ever. Or else they will end up debasing the IAS from the once respected Indian Administrative Service to “I Am Sorry” service! The country will not forgive them. ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)    

                   
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