Has IAS Failed the Nation? 

News: The Prime Minister Narender Modi openly expressed his disappointment with the prevalent ‘babu culture’ in the bureaucracy in the Parliament of India last year. 

IAS in early Post Independence India 

Soon after Independence, they were seen as the home-grown answer to the colonial era ICS.  

They were responsible for nation building. For example, carrying out agricultural development, land reforms, building irrigation projects, industrial development etc. IAS officers led in these efforts from the front 

IAS Officers earned a formidable reputation for competence, commitment and integrity. 

In the mid-1970s, the political executives used to appoint an IAS officer to inquire whenever a scam or a scandal used to take place.  

Present Situation of IAS 

The IAS officers are found to be inept, indifferent and corrupt. Though, such IAS officers are in the minority. But the number of this minority is no longer small. 

Now, the IAS officers are publicly perceived to be elitist, self-serving and maintaining the status quo. They are out of touch with reality. They have lost the courage of conviction to stand up for what’s right. 

What explains the issues with the IAS?  

The problems start from the recruitment examination, the induction training and subsequent in-service training and are strengthened with availability of limited opportunities for self-improvement.

The biggest problem is the system of incentives and penalties developed by the politicians. It promotes mediocrity and risk aversion and pushes the talented and young recruits who are full of enthusiasm into a world which is full of complacency, and laziness. They lose their moral compass. 

– In this system, there is no pressure on officers to perform and deliver results.

– The smart, enthusiastic and capable are not assured of rising to the top.

– In fact, the corrupt, lazy and incompetent officers are rewarded.

– So there is no motivation for honest officers in this system to upgrade their knowledge and skills.

In fact, totally blaming the politicians for this is not accurate. It is the weak moral fabric of some IAS officers which lead to them to succumb to the temptation. Then others follow them. They are either attracted by the rewards or simply to save their careers. 

Way Forward 

The bureaucracy should stand united. It should be inflexible and committed to collective high standards of ethics and professional integrity.

– For example, the British equivalents of our cabinet secretary and the Delhi police are so much regarded that they are investigating the scandal of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.  

There are hundreds of young IAS officers who want to perform near miracles. Those IAS officers should lead to reform the system into a meritocracy.  

Source: The post is based on an article “Has IAS Failed the Nation” published in The Times of India on 25th Mar 22.