Sharp minded and enthusiastic civil servants entering services soon become cogs in the wheels of complacency and acquiescence. Suggest options to reverse this degradation. (200 words)
Refer – The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
· When the Civil services were instituted soon after Independence, its mission was clear — Nation Building.
· The civil service officers laid the foundations of an impressive development administration network, earning for the service a formidable reputation for competence, integrity and for being a change agent.
· But that reputation began eroding, starting in the mid-1970s.
· The civil services lost its ethos and its way. Ineptitude, indifference and corruption crept in.
· These services still attracts some of the best talent in the country and young recruits come in with sharp minds and enthusiasm to be change agents.
· But soon, they become cogs in the wheels of complacency and acquiescence, build a stake in the status-quo and resist change.
· Today, the stereotypical view of a civil service officer is one who puts self-interest ahead of public interest.
How to reverse it?
· In order to lead a transformation, the services must regain its moral stature.
· Introspection on where and how the service lost its ethical moorings would give a clear insight.
· The service has to focus on reinventing both its character and its personality.
On the character front
· The service must adopt and conform to an honour code that upholds and prizes competence, commitment, pecuniary and professional integrity.
· It will happen only by each and every civil service officers internalising the ethos of the honour code and conforming to it no matter the provocation or the temptation to infringe it.
· It means championing change, pursuing public good with passion and professionalism, acting without fear or favour, accepting challenges, no matter how daunting, and letting actions and results speak for themselves.
· It means reviving the old esprit de corps where officers stand up for each other in order to uphold public good.
On the personality front
· The officers must adopt and adhere to a code of conduct of work ethics and behaviour.
· This means diligence and application, punctuality, disciplined work habits, willingness to learn, accepting responsibility for mistakes with humility, going to meetings well prepared, communicating clearly and effectively and being courteous and humble.
· Once the civil service officers begin on this mission of reinventing itself, its effects will ripple through the system, galvanising change across the administrative hierarchy and thus resulted in transformation in a larger society.
