It was just a year back when I started
writing this series of blogs accounting
for my experiences of district training. Last one year was quite eventful for me. Apart from getting married,
I traveled more than 20,000 odd Kms
(half the circumference of earth) which by the
way din’t involve any foreign travel. I held various positions
like that of Tehsildar, BDO, SDM and ARO (Elections) who form the cutting edge of the administration. I
always felt wanting for words and time to narrate my experiences given their
plethora and variety. Last one year
was trans-formative too, adding more maturity and sense in
me. Grass-root level administration is a theater of
intense yet humane experiences and learning.
It rekindles your original unpolluted value system but then serves as an eye opener too. It brings you close to reality and
makes you more pragmatic than before. Away from
the theoretic of air conditioned classes, it nurtures the real
you like never before. One of the biggest advantages
of grass-root level training is that it breaks lot of myths
and imbibes the outcomes in your value system making them
broader and permanent than before and at a much faster rate than cosy and
sleepy theoretical classes. In this blog I am penning down some
of the myths I heard and had pre-UPSC
days but it took one year of district training to break them. There is no
substitute for experience. But experiences are a function of time, place,
state of mind and many more variables. So they are never complete and absolute
but surely unique for every individual. Based on my experiences, I negate
following:
1. "Indian
Bureaucracy is bloated, Minimum Government and Maximum Governance is
the need"
At least not in Himachal. With a
cadre strength of 106 IAS officers against sanctioned 146, its
getting increasingly difficult to run the government effectively. First be
effective then aim for efficiency. Marginal cost of addition is still less
than the value of output.
2. "Outsourcing
is a good solution to downsize the government in a market economy"
Actually it has opened up more avenues for corruption.
Should be taken with a pinch of salt. Privatization may not be always
best solution to every problem in government. Government is the biggest
monopoly in itself is understandable. But to infuse competition, doing away
with the government is not necessary. Healthy system of checks and balances
should be in place before we try out of box solutions.
3. "All
IAS officers are corrupt and inefficient"
There might be a few odd
black sheep here and there. But which organisation be it public
or private lack them as it is a societal problem in India and
elsewhere. Painting all of them with the same brush in one go would be a fatal
mistake. It actually tarnishes and demoralizes the
most efficient category of government servants. Some of them have actually
sacrificed a lot to be in the services. A few corrupt ones are highlighted out
of proportion in media shadowing the many honest, efficient and hard working
officers. India needs to cultivate a culture of appreciating its unsung heroes.
We need to infuse more optimism in the system than injecting pessimistic overdose.
4. "At the service of their political
masters"
Repeat a lie thousand times and it becomes the truth.
Political representatives are bosses for sure but not all IAS officers are at
their service. At the Service of this nation would be more right and dignified way while addressing to them. This nation with 1.2 billion population, myriad
political parties and innumerable thought streams would succumb to
discontinuity and chaos but for the steel frame of this country. Politicians
are going smart too. they want to get out of the sycophancy culture
in their own interest. Had the myth hold any iota of truth, we would not
witness such frequent transfers in higher echelons of government. Politicians
have very high regard for IAS officers.
5. "Corrupt and yielding are awarded
and honest and efficient shown the door"
Most crucial and important positions in
government are always manned by most efficient and talented officers
irrespective of their so called party affiliations. Somebody has to keep
the show on. Corrupt and yielding ones are not meant for long hauls. They
are finally weeded out and shoved in corner, at times with no scope for
recovery. Corrupt might get immediate relief but they never win the race.
System preserves the merit and appreciates the talent.
6. "Being
neutral and playing safe helps for better future prospects"
When in Rome behave like Romans. You
cannot not take sides. The job is not for weak heart. It keeps you on your
toes. Enjoy the charm of the services. Playing safe is just not the way. But
diplomacy is an art worth practicing. Being neutral means working at half the
efficiency possible. Calculated bravery has its own rewards in long run.
7. "Highly
qualified IAS officers work under uneducated Political masters"
Education has got nothing to do with your
intelligence, social quotient, wit and leadership qualities. In a generalist
organisation like government demand for above qualities is far more than
ceremonial degrees. So if one thinks that he is at the wrong place then
quitting and moving up the generalist ladder is better than cribbing. Every job
demands its own unique set of skills. And new breed of politicians
are coming with good qualifications too. These jobs demand more of common sense
and education has no positive correlation with that.
8. "All
politicians are alike"
Its not Bollywood out there. They
represent our society. Good and Bad are in the same proportions as the society
produces. And politics is no tool for producing siamese twins. Productivity and anonymity does have some
positive correlation. You would be awestruck by some and many will fail you as
well. You meet all
kinds: Good, Bad and Ugly!
9. "Politicians
are most unreasonable breed when it comes to working with them"
In fact its contrary. If the officer can
add reasons while delivering advice, they will find the political class more
understanding and reasonable way above their wives. Politicians have more at stakes
than officers but still a reasoned advice is mostly appreciated. They deal with
all kinds of unreasonable people in their constituencies to know better what a
situation demands. A few rogues are mere aberrations and not the norms in
politics.
10. “IAS no longer attracts the best talent in
the country”
One needs to see the recent batches. People from IITs,
IIMs, National Law Colleges, Best Art Graduates, and big MNCs with fat pay
packages are joining selflessly. Trend may be trivialized but I see a great
talent pool around. There is no dearth of talent in the service. The attraction
for 150 years old services is adamant to diminish.
11. "IAS is a job with social
status unparalleled"
Young members of services need to stop
basking in glory. They had their limelight for a couple of years after passing
the exalted portals of UPSC. They need to get down to business putting their
best foot forward. Job may be unparalleled but individual is gauged
and remembered for his deeds not for his status in long run. Many came and
went, but a few could create a niche for themselves. Mediocrity is the most
communicable and viral disease. Many officers just adorn the roll
of honor on the glossy boards in the chambers but only few do
exemplary works and become the folklore of the locals.
We have been given a golden opportunity
and carry expectations of millions on our shoulders and that’s the privilege
of being in the services. We have a daunting task ahead. Loads to
do before complacency seeps inside of us and we are lost like dust in the
storm. I might have seen the tip of the iceberg of "What would it be
like?". I am sure future will unfold more interesting and challenging
things ahead. With this I would bring down the curtain on this series of blogs
called "Venturing into Administration". My district training
comes to an end this month. Adventure is going to give way to some serious
business now.
