IAS: The Specialists in Generalism
IAS: The Specialists in Generalism
Masters of Administration, Management, Governance and Policy-making?
Masters of Administration, Management, Governance and Policy-making?
The Government of India’s recent Notification on “Lateral Recruitment” at the level of the Joint Secretary (JS) has triggered quite a debate. Its supporters view it as a first modest step to loosen the stranglehold of the inefficient monopoly that the IAS has carved out for itself. This initiative, they argue, shall infuse fresh blood, transplanting top-notch “specialists” from the relevant fields to the crucial position of the JS. The graph of the IAS in public perception has consistently dipped; the officers are seen as “Babus”, collectively out of sync not only with the changing priorities of the democratic polity but also with the aspirations of the people at large. It is nobody’s case that the candidates who crack the UPSC examination are people of mediocre capabilities. The public adulation that follows the declaration of the results of the Civil Services Examination by the UPSC is one occasion when the IAS undoubtedly is the cynosure of all eyes. Small-town boys and girls from lower-middle class families get catapulted into national-wide fame — a true meritocracy in the making. However, with passing time, the IAS gets nothing but flak with stories of inefficiency, arrogance and corruption dominating the headlines.
IAS: Knowing less and less about more and more
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[1] 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 was 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 here are quite difficult 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[2]. 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.”
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KBS Sidhu. The Author is an IAS officer of 1984 Batch of Punjab cadre. The views expressed are his own.
He can be reached on kbs.sidhu@gmail.com or @kbssidhu1961 orhttps://www.facebook.com/kbs.sidhu
[1] http://documents.doptcirculars.nic.in/D2/D02eod/I-Secy-2018-07-02vy4c2.pdf
[2] For detailed discussion of these factors, the reader may follow the following link to my article “The IAS is here to stay because it suits the Political Executive” published in “The Print”.
https://theprint.in/opinion/ias-is-here-to-stay-because-it-suits-the-political-executive/69442/