Dear friends,
If we were asked, what is happening to the role of the IAS in contemporary times?
a) Growing
b) Status quo
c) Diminishing
d) I don’t care
Most of us are going to put our bet on ‘c’ or‘d’. And if it is so, then certainly we need to ask ourselves, why we chose to join this prestigious service at all (as most visiting guests ask us…!).Indubitably, the powers, scope and prestige of an IAS officer has declined when compared to the days of the Raj or even until the initial years after independence. Sometimes we do feel nostalgic, wondering: ‘Jaane wo kaise log they…?’ After the amendments in the Criminal procedure code in 1973, a substantial amount of magisterial powers have vanished from the IAS kitty, the 73rd amendment act has also taken away a considerable amount of the developmental authority of the IAS and passed onto the local bodies and elected representatives. In states like Gujarat and Maharashtra, the task of development has conveniently been handed to what is called the CEO, Zila Parishad.
With the influx of multinationals and surge in globalization, the role of IAS has further come under the scanner. NGOs and media men are continuously hovering around the bureaucrat’s head (remember, the newspaper we visited in Delhi, felt pride in addressing us as babus, right into our faces !) and further, in terms of diminishing powers, the perfect icing on the cake is made by what we know as, political interference.
However, this is just one side of the story…let me put it this way, the authority and prestige an IAS commands, has hardly dwindled in the mind of the common Indian. In states lying inside the cow belt, he is an iconic figure. The mai-baap cult still pervades the lifestyle of the IAS. The cult comes with its own set of lacunae, but that’s a different issue altogether. We are witnessing a paradigm shift in the role of the IAS. He is increasingly getting attuned to the democratic system that runs in the veins of our country. Empowerment of people, particularly the downtrodden sections of the society, implies greater accountability and transparency in working…but then that’s what good governance is all about !
The Right to Information Act, as a section of the IAS says, has introduced an element of answerability and accountability on the part of public servants and thus keeps them on their toes. Decision making has become easier, since the onus of responsibility has become localized. While scanning through the RTI procedure, one can easily find who was at fault. Far from our powers being diminished, our workload has increased. On an average, an IAS has to put in 11 hours of work everyday…(Ah! our energy gets sapped in just 6-7 hours of classroom study!). With globalization, the task has further increased. India is in the take off mode today. Soon it will be airborne…and it is we, who are going to pilot it. (Don’t worry, we have an air force guy with us..!) Nothing has come down…powers, functions or prestige. It is only a transformation that we are undergoing….a transformation that is inevitable and has happened after every few decades.
As far as the political executive is concerned, we are just advisors and counselors to them. If only, both the wings of the executive realize their respective functions and scope of working, they can join hands and work together to produce results. Nothing stops us from thinking out of the box; nothing forces us to be prisoners of dilatory procedures alone. It is while maintaining the rule of law, adhering to the principles enshrined in the Constitution and committed to the common man, we can innovate and streamline delivery systems. The common man still regards us in high esteem more than other functionaries. He expects from us and let us not fall short of it. The iceberg could be melting, but certainly another iceberg is being formed somewhere….ultimately, it is change which remains constant always. Sardar Patel envisioned the IAS as the steel pillars of India. Today the pillars are even more entrenched and stronger than ever. The powers and scope of work of the IAS is certainly not diminishing….and that is perhaps why, all of us are here…!
ZUHAIR BIN SAGHIR
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4 comments:
zuhair, good answer for the question 'has the role of IAS diminished?'. but whatever one says, definitely the deprivation of magisterial powers and the powers taken away by the 73rd amendment have left IAS craving for some hardcore work/power. i was speaking to an assistant executive engineer in the pwd who said that his DC was a mere collector now, with very few concrete powers. people like him are line men with decades of experience behind them and they definitely know what they're saying. and your mai-baap theory holds good only for the northern belt, here in karnataka, definitely CEOs of private companies draw more respect. money speaks!
I think in the changed milieu it would make more sense to analyze the authority and prestige of IAS in terms of the responsibilities they are entrusted with rather than the iconic argument. The mai-baap cult is a derogatory attribution which some in the IAS unfortunately take as a symbol of their authority and prestige. This cult has more to do with the enormous powers conferred on them, lackadaisical mechanism for delivery of public goods and services, and lack of sufficient empowerment of the masses than anything else.
In this era of globalization I think the role of the government, and IAS in particular, will be that of a facilitator than a pilot. In the last 16 years, since the economic reforms started in 1991, there has been a gradual paradigm shift in governance. The government is moving away from State control of economic activities to mainly regulatory functions. MRTPC has been scrapped, SEBI, IRDA, TRAI have been created as regulatory bodies, FERA has been replaced by FEMA. These are just some of the examples of how the role of the government is transforming in the economic sphere. This trend will only continue to rise given the path taken by our economy. IAS requires a shift in their mindset, to view themselves as a facilitator than a pilot, to be better able to discharge their responsibilities in this area.
Development has always been one of the work areas of the IAS. It is going to acquire great significance in their re-defined role. With growing accountability, because of RTI, active media and citizenry, and empowerment of the people, the spotlight will be not on their “prestige and authority” but on the deliverables on which their performance will be measured.
Undoubtedly, IAS is an important block of the backbone of the government. It has a crucial role to play in the making of our nation. Its role is not dwindling but only transforming. In order to be effective and responsive IAS will need to calibrate its own perception of itself to adjust to the changing realities. It would help to remember that being part of IAS is not a privilege, it is an opportunity.
-Purnendu
(philo.sophus@yahoo.com)
Zuhair,
My sister cleared the mains this year. Can you give me your email so that I can ask you some tips for the interview?
My email is
smohanty@berensonco.com
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