IAS: The Specialists in Generalism
Masters of Administration, Management, Governance and Policy-making?
Masters of Administration, Management, Governance and Policy-making?
In July 2018, during my tenure in the IAS, I authored an article on the Government of India's announcement about "Lateral Recruitment" at the Joint Secretary (JS) level, a matter that had ignited significant debate at the time. Advocates of this initiative lauded it as a groundbreaking effort to break the IAS's perceived monopoly, which was often critiqued for its inefficiency. They posited that bringing in high-calibre "specialists" from relevant fields into these critical JS positions would invigorate the administrative framework with new insights and expertise. This argument stemmed from the observation that the public's perception of the IAS had progressively deteriorated, with officers broadly labeled as "Babus" and viewed as out of touch with the shifting priorities of our democratic governance and the wider aspirations of the citizenry.
Reassessing the Impact 6 Years Later
Nearly six years on, the IAS remains the premier civil service of the country, albeit now more receptive and responsive to the policy directives of the political executive. Meanwhile, the Joint Secretaries recruited through the "Lateral Entry" scheme have largely faded into the background. Today, as was the case then, it is widely acknowledged that those who succeed in the UPSC examination are far from mediocre. The public adulation that accompanies the announcement of the Civil Services Examination results by the UPSC is a testament to this, with the IAS emerging as the focal point of national attention. Young men and women from small towns and lower-middle-class backgrounds are propelled into nationwide fame, embodying the essence of a true meritocracy. However, as time progresses, the narrative surrounding the IAS increasingly shifts to criticism, with stories of inefficiency, arrogance, and corruption predominating the discourse.
IAS: Knowing less and less about more and more
Even today, the major plank of criticism of the IAS has been that it is far too much of a “generalist” service to be occupying top positions in the Centre as well in the States in Ministries and Departments ranging from Animal Husbandry to Archaeology and from Urban Governance and Infrastructure to Information Technology. In an era of super-specialisation, IAS officers no longer seen as equipped with multi-, inter- and intra-disciplinary skills to tackle the complex issues that bedevil the arena of public governance. It has even been stated that a person needs to perform well in a 3-hour examination and thereafter one has a lifelong cushy job studded with power, prestige, perks and privileges. This, of course, is as inane, simplistic or naïve as arguing that it does not even require 10 seconds to win an Olympic Gold in a 100m dash.
Before an IAS officer plunges into the heart of India’s rural hinterland, getting the first posting as an SDM, he undergoes a rigorous 2-year: a 4-month “Foundation Course” at the Mussoorie Academy which is common to all the services, followed by a month-long Bharat-Darshan and then a 6-month core module on field administration. The one-year stint in the State cadre allotted comprises about 8 months in a district, preceded by around 4 months in the State Institute of Public Administration. This is wound up by a 2-month Phase-II in Mussoorie. Then there are reasonably tough Departmental Examinations to be passed in the National Academy as well as in the respective States. In a scenario where the reputed UK Universities are dishing out Masters Degrees in one year, this comprehensive training, studded with written examinations, could very easily be regarded as equivalent to a Master’s Degree in Public Administration/ Management.
Lawmakers sans a Law Degree
While lack of “specialization” is seen as all that is wrong with the IAS, as a Nation we do not debate whether a degree in law should be mandatory for a person to be elected an MLA or an MP. After all, the onerous task of framing of laws that are not only consistent with the Constitution of India but also facilitative of promoting the socio-economic welfare of the masses cannot be left to persons with no educational qualification whatsoever stipulated under the law. There are also Finance and Appropriation Bills that require a modicum of understanding of the Public Finance and Fiscal Policy. Even in the case of allocation of ministerial portfolios, whether in the Centre or in the States, one’s experience and qualification has generally no nexus with the portfolio that may be allotted. Of course, the counter-argument is that the portals of the highest temples of democracy should not be shut for potential representatives who may be the most popular amongst the electorate, irrespective of their education. In any case, the Executive remains answerable to the Legislature and the former is to hire the best talent to do the essential spadework as well as the legal nitty-gritty.
Super-specialisation among Top-Cops
The IPS, the officers of which are incidentally recruited through the same examination as the IAS, does not have any formal specialist sub-cadre, even as their duties span from law and order, to investigation of crimes that may range from murder to money-laundering and from corruption to cyber-crimes. Even permanent organizations of the Government of India such as RAW, CBI, IB and the Central Paramilitary Forces such as the CRPF, BSF, ITBP and CISF do not build up a regular cadre of their own senior officers but rely on IPS officers on deputation. Although there is a concept of a “lifer” in intelligence agencies like the IB and RAW where an officer, once he opts for deputation, can continue therein till his superannuation but even here the officer can choose to revert back to his parent cadre if he is offered the post of the Director General of Police.
Wither Income Tax super-Sleuths
Even in a Central Service like the IRS (Income Tax), a common cadre is maintained notwithstanding the fact that an officer may specialize in various strands such as assessment, investigation, personnel, legal and legislative matters, International Taxation, Money-laundering, “Benami” transactions, overseas assets and so on. There is not one instance where “specialists” have been drafted at senior positions to hold statutory positions within the Income Tax Department. The post of the Member of the the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is now technically a “selection” post but the criterion is heavily skewed in favour of the internal candidates. There is no known instance where a relatively junior (15 years of service) but with truly outstanding credentials has pipped his senior colleagues, with over three decades of service, to be selected for this post. Even the portfolios allotted to the Members of the CBDT have nothing to do with, in general, with their in-service specialization, such as it is.
Private Sector Mangers: Effective and Efficient?
In the private sector a professional executive with an MBA can migrate from one type of industry to the other, since it is universally recognized that the underlying principles of Business Management are much the same. Not only this, a mid-senior manager holding an MBA degree may not know much about Income Tax, GST or Audit and Accounts, yet he may function effectively in a supervisory position by relying on subject specialists working under his control. It may not be out of place to mention that when the young Steve Jobs was looking for a CEO to steer Apple Inc., he recruited John Sculley, the then CEO Pepsico, for “adult supervision”.
IAS: Winner by Default
It is not being argued that the IAS is a “heaven-born” Service or that its members are Cat’s Whiskers, but there are surely strengths of the Service as well as other surrounding factors that have ensured that the IAS continues to survive, if not to thrive, even after seven decades since Independence. The crucial factor seems to be that on account of their selection procedure, training and experience, the IAS officers emerge as “specialists in generalism”, whereas the other services seem to strive to be merely “generalists in specialism”. Till the country is able to find or build an alternative system, dismantling the IAS is perhaps not the answer. The IAS may till then mean “I Am to Stay.”
