GS paper 2
Syllabus: Role of Civil services in democracy, mode of posting of IAS and other central services in state etc
Context: It has been reported that fewer All India Services (AIS) officers working in the States were coming forward to opt for tenure with the Center.
Factors that account for the reluctance:
- Long hours of work
- Extra caution: Need for extreme clinical care in the preparation and submission of reports going up the hierarchy — sometimes up to the Prime Minister himself.
- Fewer comforts than what is available in a State environment
- The need to operate sometimes far away from one’s native State.
The AIS appointments:
- Selection procedure: Through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which holds an annual examination.
- Deputation by the centre: Appointment officers are allotted to various States, the number of officers depending on each State’s requirement.
- Thereafter, they spend most of their career in those States, intervened by short spells of deputation to the Center.
- Disciplinary authority with the centre: While they are functioning under a State government, disciplinary authority is vested in the former.
- The state cannot impose a major penalty on a delinquent AIS officer for any misconduct.
- Ratification by the centre: Suspension of an officer from the service by a State government will have to be ratified by the Center before the end of three months.
- This is meant to be a safeguard against any arbitrary action by a State government.
- The tussle between centre and state: For example West Bengal, where senior officers such as the Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Police were greatly embarrassed because the Chief Minister and GOI were out of step with each other.
All India Services (AIS): The All India Services (AIS) comprises the three civil services of India:
- Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
- Indian Police Service (IPS)
- Indian Forest Service (IFoS)
Conclusion:
Center’s dialogue with the States over amending the AIS rules assumes importance: Such amendment would empower the Center to commandeer the services of any officer serving in the States to work for the former, with or without the concurrence of the State concerned or the consent of the particular officer.
Related article: Bureaucrats Haven’t Failed. But They Can Do Better
Source: Times of India
Direction: Read through it once. We have clubbed two articles together.
Functions of the IAS:
- Regulatory
- policy-making
- program implementation
- improving ease of living
- ease of doing business and governance
- evidence-based assessments.
Issues in their functioning:
- Low public trust: The number of civil servants who are involved in misdeeds has been disturbingly increasing.
- Low on competence, conviction, and willingness: Rather conformity (e.g., political compliance) is preferred.
- The civil servants including competent become conformist due to incentives of postings like foreign posting incentives.
Contributions:
- Liberal economic reforms since 1991: Civil servants has created regulatory infrastructure, monetary and fiscal policy formulation and lobbying for liberal economic reforms, even at the cost of populism.
- Brought in Innovations: E.g., Use of Aadhaar linked DBT and decline in leakages.
- Dismantling the archaic laws
- Women empowerment: E.g., empowered 130 million women under the Livelihood Mission, facilitated 31 lakh elected Panchayat leaders, higher literacy rate.
Solutions:
- Linking Civil society with the workings with elected local governments: will help in deepening democracy and the voice of the poorest.
- Greater accountability and scrutiny: There should be a ruthless crackdown on the black sheep, alongside a thrust for greater professionalism among the IAS.
- More tolerance among government: Esp. to the evidence-based dissent and the right person in the right place, with a lower premium on conformism.
Insta Links:
Mains Links:
Q. The jurisdiction of the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) regarding lodging an FIR and conducting a probe within a particular state is being questioned by various States. However, the power of States to withhold consent to the CBI is not absolute. Explain with special reference to the federal character of India. (UPSC 2021)
Prelims Links:
Consider the following statements:
- The constitution provides that no government employee either of an all-India service or a state government shall be dismissed or removed by an authority subordinate to the own that appointed him/her.
- The protective safeguards given under Article 311 are applicable only to civil servants and not available to defence personnel.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
Ans: (c
Justification:
- Article 311 (1): It says that no government employee either of an all-India service or a state government shall be dismissed or removed by an authority subordinate to the own that appointed him/her.
- Article 311 (2): It says that no civil servant shall be dismissed or removed or reduced in rank except after an inquiry in which s/he has been informed of the charges and given a reasonable opportunity of being heard in respect of those charges.
- People Protected under Article 311:
- Civil service of the Union,
- All India Service, and
- Civil service of any State,
- People who hold a civil post under the Union or any State.
- The protective safeguards given under Article 311 are applicable only to civil servants, i.e. public officers. They are not available to defence personnel.
