Is IAS Self-Destructing?

Without analysing and understanding the reasons for the shortage of IAS officers, which is mainly due to the archaic recruitment system and chaotic cadre management, PMO has opted to abandon the constitutional scheme of things and run to the market.

- MG Devasahayam

WRITING in the March 2011 issue of gfiles I had raised a poser whether there is hope for civil services to survive and had responded thus: “Yes, if civil servants revert back to the constitutional scheme of things from which they have drifted and reinvent themselves to become a fearless, independent, honest and efficient entity bound by an esprit de corps which is awfully absent now…” the message and the choice were obvious—resurgence or swansong! this message has gone unheeded and all indications are that elite IAS is heading towards self-destruction.

Niti Aayog, His Majesty’s think tank, without much knowledge of India and its governance system, wants to hasten this process. The Aayog has virtually become a corporate consultant urging the Privatization of all infrastructure and services, raising a serious public finance issue as to where the ‘vastly enhanced’ revenue coming to the government due to expanded tax base and compliance through demonetisation, Aadhaar linkage, GST and it raids would go! now they want to privatise the IAS, which is the most potent instrument of democratic governance covenanted in the Constitution by the Founding Fathers of India’s republic (Article 312).

Recently this Aayog recommended to the government of India to employ persons from the private sector at all levels of the government—including Secretary and Joint Secretary. Accordingly, instructions have gone from the Prime Minister’s Office to the Department of Personnel & training to prepare a broad outline of modalities for selecting private individuals for appointment in the ranks of Deputy Secretary, Director and Joint Secretary.