Need for an urgent All India Debateto improve the Governance System as a Public Welfare Service.

Dear Veterans,
Regards . Find below an article by Prem Sabhlok on an urgent issue of Public Wefare Service. Please go through it and give your comments ,if any.
Veteran Prabhjot Singh Chhatwal PLS.Retd.


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Need for an urgent all India debate to improve the governance system as a Public Welfare Service.
Subject: It is High time for IAS/IPS/Central Services officers and others to do introspection and Learn Science of Good Governance.
Causes of various symptoms we see today lie deep in the governance system which has become so low that it can not cope with even minor issues like civic amenities forget about complexities of Law and Order, Security, Finance, Economic Sickness (Depression) etc. Always blaming entirely the political leaders ignorant of administrative complexities is not correct. The bureaucrats particularly IAS Officers who are now heading nearly all the departments in the Center, States and Local Governments and implement without any accountability are mainly responsible for the mess being created in urban and rural areas. There is an urgent need for a National Debate on this vital issue concerning "WE" the sovereign citizens of India Views of some eminent people regarding IAS Officers are given below (A) Prof R.K Mishra Dir of Inst of Public Enterprise says,IAS Officers project themselves expert on every thing, their concern and focus on their own career is very high, are self opinionated, power hungry, shrewd and manipulative, procedure and rule focused, arrogant, inaccessible, judgmental, critical of others by concentrating minor details of others. They are very low on positive traits such as commitment to organization, trustworthy, risk taking, contentiousness, innovative ness and creativity. They are the lowest visionaries and considered to be no change agents and very poor at public policy, analysis and design. (B) Fungal Growth of Departments They have a tendency to create more Secretary level posts in the Centre and State governments. In 1774 there were 3 Secys, 4 in 1833 for Home. Defence, Finance and Foreign, 10 in 1919, 18 immediately after 1947, 54 Deptts in 1978, 70 in 1993. Then the practice of a number of Secretaries in some deptts started like Finance, Defence, Home etc. Thus there are now about 100 Secretaries in center and more than that in State governments. Total number of secretary level posts manned by IAS are far more than annual intake of direct IAS officers. Thus almost 100 % IAS officers reach this level when in other services it is less than 10 percent and for direct officers in Defence Services about 2%. Even these ten% officers work under the supervision and direction of IAS secretaries.
They know very well it suits political Leaders also to create more departments, more Districts, Division etc. Thus the expansion game goes on but with no Accountability and no compulsion to perform. (C) This model was bequeathed to us by the British and was worth at one time. It has now become fetid upon coming in contact with our sectarian caste based and geocentric passions. In this rotting model no dynamism is left and has started stinking. In view of articles 308-323 of the Constitution of India particularly 312, it is cumbersome to remove IAS officer from service and hence these jobs have become sinecure. (D) To say it is sloppy, sluggish, and inefficient and therefore ineffective is underestimate. It is now giving the impression of functioning as inert, arbitrary, heavy handed often corrupt un-coordinated monolith (eminent Economist Pranab Burdhan). (page 164). IAS officers do not posses the quality of leadership skills, extensive specialist policy knowledge but also impeccable personal integrity. There self interest is not aligned to public self interest. (E) “India’s poverty is because of IAS officers and their ways” (Brezenski) he wrote more than a decade ago. It is high time sovereign citizens of India should critically examine whether this service should continue or get modified by shedding its feudal aristocracy to suit good governance in our democracy or wound up before more harm is done like Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) to the country. Incidentally this kind of Administrative Service, appointments/post/assignments like DC, Collector, DRDA, Commissioner etc; no where exist in the developed democracies of the world as it is an outdated/obsolete concept earlier applied only in British controlled colonies. Finding and getting convinced great harm this service is doing to the country both my son and daughter-in-law IAS officers resigned when they were Secretaries and Commissioners. The concept of Service and Public welfare has virtually disappeared amongst most of the the IAS officers. Can any one in the entire country serving/retired IAS officer or any vigilant citizen of India tell what useful work this service (IAS) has done for the country during the last six decades? Latley cases are coming up when with collaboration with some political leaders even Voters Lists are being manipulated with the full knowledge of IAS officers- thus endangering our Democracy.
Till date in the last six decades they have not laid down any minimum benchmark for good governance- leave aside world class governance. Most of the IAS officers do not know even the difference between Independence and Freedom/Swaraj.

The sovereign citizens of India, please force/compell IAS officers to change their feudal attitude to become accountable and also change your own attitude of Mai-Baap culture. There is need to exercise your Sovereign rights.
With regards,Prem Sabhlok