UPSC Syllabus: Gs Paper 2- Governance
Introduction
India’s governance structure was built after Independence around generalist administrators who ensured stability during nation-building. Over time, policy challenges became deeply scientific, technological, and environmental. Scientists entered government, but service rules did not evolve accordingly. This institutional mismatch has limited the effective use of scientific expertise in policymaking. The proposal for an Indian Scientific Service seeks to correct this structural gap and make science a regular partner in governance.
About the Indian Scientific Service
- Core institutional idea: The Indian Scientific Service (ISS) is proposed as a permanent national scientific cadre working within government institutions.
- Purpose within governance: It seeks to make scientific expertise a regular and structured part of policymaking rather than a temporary advisory input.
- Complementary administrative role: The service is intended to work alongside civil services, combining administrative coordination with scientific evidence and risk assessment.
- Institutional objective: The aim is to integrate scientific knowledge directly into governance processes for more informed and resilient public decisions.
Need for structured scientific role in governance
- Expansion of technically intensive sectors: Government responsibilities now include climate change, environmental protection, public health, disaster management, nuclear safety, biotechnology, oceans, space science, and artificial intelligence, making scientific knowledge indispensable.
- Growing policy complexity: Many public decisions require specialised expertise, risk assessment, and long-term evaluation rather than only administrative judgement.
- Institutional mismatch with governance evolution: Service rules designed for early nation-building did not adjust to the scientific transformation of governance functions.
- Limited regular integration of science: Scientific expertise is often consulted when needed but is not structurally embedded as a continuous component of policymaking.
- Need for anticipatory research: Effective governance requires sustained research that identifies emerging risks and future challenges rather than responding only to immediate demands.
Major concerns in the existing system
- Different professional career pathways: Administrative services rely on competitive examinations, while scientific careers develop through specialised education, research, and peer evaluation.
- Lack of structured institutional preparation for scientists: Administrators receive role-specific governance training, but scientists lack comparable institutional orientation within government.
- Administrative rules restricting professional functioning: Scientists operate under conduct and appraisal systems designed mainly for general administrative roles.
- Limited institutional authority of scientific expertise: Technical inputs may not carry formal decision-making weight even in complex policy areas.
- Inadequate institutional recording of scientific assessment: Governance processes do not consistently allow formal documentation of risks, uncertainties, or long-term consequences.
- Short-term use of scientific work: Scientific research is often commissioned for immediate regulatory or legal needs instead of sustained policy development.
- Unclear organisational position of scientists: Many scientists lack defined career progression and institutional authority within governance structures.
Way forward
- Establish a permanent scientific cadre: Create a national service placing scientists directly within ministries and regulatory bodies as part of policy processes.
- Specialised recruitment and professional evaluation: Selection should reflect advanced scientific training, research competence, and peer-reviewed expertise.
- Separate scientific service rules: Institutional safeguards must protect professional integrity and allow transparent recording of scientific assessments.
- Formal recognition of scientific input in decision systems: Governance must provide mechanisms to place technical analysis and risk evaluation within official processes.
- Long-term research support for policymaking: Sustained scientific work should guide policy through continuous analysis of emerging challenges.
- Clear division of institutional roles: Administrators manage coordination and implementation, while scientists provide technical knowledge and analytical evaluation.
- Sector-specific scientific cadres: Dedicated divisions across environment, climate, water, oceans, public health, disaster resilience, energy, agriculture, technology policy, and regulatory science can support specialised governance needs.
- Alignment with national development priorities: Evidence-informed governance is essential for leadership in environmental protection, public health, and technological advancement.
- Learning from international institutional models: Countries such as France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States maintain dedicated scientific cadres and professional safeguards that ensure transparent and independent scientific input.
- Full use of national scientific capacity for global leadership: Evidence-based governance is necessary for India’s leadership in climate action, environmental stewardship, public health, and technological advancement.
Conclusion
Creating an Indian Scientific Service would formally integrate scientific expertise into governance and strengthen evidence-based policymaking. By defining institutional roles, protecting professional integrity, and enabling transparent scientific assessment, it can improve policy resilience. Aligning administrative coordination with scientific knowledge will help India manage complex risks, support national priorities, and build future-ready governance for long-term stability and credibility.
Question for practice:
Examine the need for establishing an Indian Scientific Service to strengthen the integration of scientific expertise into India’s governance and policymaking system.
Source: The Hindu
