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The Service of the State:
The IAS Reconstituted
The Service of the State- The IAS Reconstituted, penned by Bhaskar Ghose, a seasoned administrator, a scholar par excellence and a columnist, is a painstaking memoir pertaining to his life time’s service to the State leaving deep insights on governance system. During his 36-year career, he held key positions in the West Bengal and the Centre as Secretary as well as held specialised assignments in Doordarshan, Archaeology etc. He pleads for a strong, committed, upright, well-trained and an effective civil service. Quoting Pt. Nehru, Sardar Patel and Constituent Assembly debates, he avers that "we shall not have a united India if we do not have a good all-India service." After all, the Constitution is meant to be worked by a service which will keep the country intact. According to him, although horse riding, rock climbing, trekking etc., as skill training in the Academy were unnecessary, they instilled qualities that were of abiding value and which no classroom lectures would ever give. He opines that both the senior civil servants and youngsters rated training as irrelevant, stereo-typed, pre-packaged and, above all, the fact that it did not relate to real-life situations. His stint as a civil servant as usual began working with head clerks in collectorates, visits to interiors of district administration and devoting considerable time with Block Development Officer-the fulcrum in the development effort. He hailed the British method of reliance on field inspections by Commissioners to keep the officers on their toes and administration on track. He commended senior officers protecting their juniors for their errors and taking responsibility themselves. As Deputy Commissioner, he exhaustively explains the term "to have charge," meaning thereby that responsibility for whatever happens in the district rests on him. He wisely persuaded farmers to use HYV seeds by travelling right up to their doorstep, rather than by bringing them to government farms. He applauds the value of networking- a kind of bond or a propensity to help one another that IAS officers have constituted. To him his census assignment would not have been accomplished but for unquestioned authority and a sort of unspoken bond his batch mates shared with him. The Chief Minister’s secretariat did not become a super secretariat as is evident these days. Rather no one was at liberty to comment on a proposal sent up for the Chief Minister’s approval. Besides Government business was based on elaborate procedures in a hierarchical manner. He vehemently criticised financial advisors with little responsibilities shelving/ delaying best thought out schemes. He appreciated role of young officers having under gone sandwiched training in the Academy. They were found to be more enterprising, imaginative, skilled and more down to earth. To him, civil service can nurture and develop abilities based on the experience attained both in the field and headquarters. However, of late, some officers have started aligning with ruling government for protection, advancement and plum positions, thus tarnishing their credibility. That is why, some critics have categorised them into three groups, namely wives (attached to one party), nuns (unattached to any party) and prostitutes (attached to any party in power). Civil services can certainly deliver high-quality performance and enhance the system efficiently provided its cadre learn about Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma domain viz .,some of the best practices that have been the sole preserve of global corporations and business houses. Once these practices are customised, these are bound to usher in good governance and citizen satisfaction.
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CIVIL Service as a
re-invention of ICS is inevitable to ensure stability, continuity and
assuring extraordinary results in Indian administrative system. The
transition of Government elected by adult franchise, initiation of
planned efforts to develop the country economically and socially and in
the wake of market led economy, civil services have to strive for a
built-in adaptability to meet emerging demands of governance. It
requires enviable qualities such as pride of profession, trust, support,
tolerance, encouragement of dissent, a sense of camaraderie and sharing
values at the expense of power of patronage.