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Indian Police Service (IPS)—and other Grappling with Foxes and branches, the underlying debate of gen- eralist vs specialist, and suggests ideas Hedgehogs of ’s Senior moving forward. One of the most important, and often- Civil Services neglected institutional reform in the senior civil services relates to restructuring and realignment of different branches. In Praveen Kishore this sense, many other important issues in civil services reform, like method and One of the neglected areas of he “steel frame of India” is the mode of recruitment and selection, pro- reforms of India’s organised phrase often used to describe the motion and performance evaluation, senior civil services relates Torganised of India, tenure and stability, job security and and has been in use since before indep en- time-bound promotion, lateral entry to the rationalisation of its dence. Although the civil service was a and equal opportunity, etc, have not branching structure and the legacy of the British and Jawaharlal been addressed here. This discussion on related debate of generalist Nehru was sceptical of it in the beginning, the reorganisation of service branches, vs specialist services. The he came to appreciate that a highly-qual- also presumes that the broader structure ifi ed, professional and meritocratic civil of the higher civil services would largely present structure is a confusing service institution would, perhaps, be an retain its career-based permanent civil hotchpotch of specialist and important factor in India’s successful service character, consisting of offi cers generalist branches, at different transition from a backward nation to a recruited through open, fair competitive layers of government, and has prosperous country. As it turns out, though examinations, who then serve for almost this transition may not yet have been all of their working lives. largely resulted in inter-branch achieved even after seven decades of in- rivalries, dissatisfaction, and dependence, the civil services, as a pro- Restructuring and Realignment a dysfunctional organisational fessionally-managed cadre of burea u crats, The larger issue of the overall structural structure, affecting the effi ciency has evolved into one of the pivotal insti- reorganisation of different branches is tutions of democratic India. It has even perhaps the most important issue which of the senior management and been identifi ed as one of the important has not been getting the attention it governance. In light of this, a factors in the deepening of democracy requires. There is an institutional man- rationalised redesign, effected and consolidation of the idea of India date and prescribed procedures for stand- through a mix of mergers, (Guha 2007). In the parliamentary democ- alone restructuring of different service/ racy of India, where the political execu- branches periodically, to be carried out abolitions, and reinvention and tive come and go through regular general under the overall guidance and supervi- with specialised–generalist elections, the civil service is sion of the Department of Personnel and branches responsible for broad permanent, providing much needed conti- Training (DoPT). Though it is not what I domains of functions, appears nuity, knowledge pool, expertise and mean by a comprehensive overall relook professionalism, to better manage a vast at the organisation and structure of vari- to be the most suitable strategy and diverse country. Though responsible ous branches of the civil service, it still for reform. and answerable to the political executive, provides an opportunity for individual the administrative and institutional struc- branches to reform and reorganise them- ture of the civil service is not dependent selves in light of the changing needs and on the whims and fancies of the political circumstances. However, this has rarely class, thus providing a fi ne system of been done. The periodic restructuring of checks and balances, together with the individual branches has hardly achieved independent judiciary and free press. any objective goal with a long-term reform The views expressed in this article are the This article, though placed within the focus. Essentially, these exercises have personal opinions of the author and do not larger framework of bureaucratic reforms, been reduced to the rigmarole of inter- represent the views of the . is focused on analysing the often-ignored service comparison and then trying Praveen Kishore ([email protected]) is a issues arising out of the peculiar branch- to ensure career/promotion prospects civil servant with experience in areas of public ing structure of the organised senior vis-à-vis other branches, often resulting health, human development and —known popularly in increasing the size of the service/branch, organisational reforms. as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and creating a redundant structure and

30 SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 vol lIiI no 38 EPW Economic & Political Weekly PERSPECTIVES superfl uous posts, especially at the sen- All such questions become more perti- benefi t; it will end the inter-service ior management level. The result has nent in this era of highly dynamic social rivalry and resulting discontent and been that no meaningful or rational end and economic challenges of our country, frustration. In effect, everyone recruited has been ach i eved, to say nothing of vi- and also in light of the fact that these will be in the IAS, and then they can be sionary change. challenges are no less humongous or com- assigned to different posts, departments Further, as all these services have a plex than they were at the time of inde- and functional domains over the course theoretical parity with the IAS, the very pendence. It becomes important, more of their service career. If we look at the different reality that actually prevails has so, as the structure of the higher bureau- present structure of IAS, it is more or less a further dampening effect. A recent Gov- cracy has hardly changed and reformed what I am proposing here, with the dis- ernment of India study itself has rightly since independence, and it is a fair claim tinction that some important functional identifi ed that at the national level, the that perhaps the present structure of civil domains like policing, revenue (to some issue of IAS offi cers occupying most of services and its branches do not represent extent), accounting, etc, have specialised the senior management-level posts is a the realities of India, and are poorly service branches. Otherwise, IAS offi cers cause of deep concern and resentment equipped to face the complex challenges do hold leadership positions in all other among other branches (GoI 2010). This of modern India. functional domains across the country, only highlights the seriousness of the The present organisation of civil service both at central and state government issue, where a large number of offi cers makes it instantly clear that it is a hotch- levels. So why leave out these few remain- from various central Group “A” services potch of one generalist branch and vari- ing domains, wherein by creating equi- (mostly non-IAS) forming as much as ous kinds of specialist branches. Though valent specialised service branches, the 80% of total group of civil servants are all of these branches are, as per rules government has given rise to such intrac- dissatisfi ed, frustrated and demotivated. and in theory, treated at par in terms of table issues which have a detrimental This indeed is a very serious organisati- career prospects, salary and perquisites, effect on bureaucratic performance. onal problem, often ignored and deliber- opportunity for growth, etc, the reality Therefore, let us have only one service, ately overlooked. Many of the offi cers is quite different. This leads to further identifi ed with whatever name one wishes from smaller and lesser-known service inter-service rivalries, competition, power to give (IAS would be good option, the branches are demotivated and frustrated politics and exploitation, resulting in all old ICS also comes to my mind), and let by the lack of opportunity, limited ex pos- kinds of bureaucratisation and ineffi - them manage all the senior position ure and poorer career prospects, which ciencies. In light of the above, the crucial across all functional areas, from police are often accentuated by exercises of question is how to, and in what fashion to health, from tax to rural develop- stand-alone cadre restructuring. we need to reorganise and reform the ment, and at all levels in federal India, Another important issue is the neglect existing senior civil services branches. from central government to state, and to of “technical service branches” (mostly How should such a division or demarca- local governments. For proposing thus, I in states, but at the central level too) tion of branches be done? What are the may be charged as unprogressive and which manage many of the problems and issues with the present di- conservative, looking back to the halcy- delivery and infrastructure provisions. vision/distribution? And how can this on days of the ICS in this modern world Most of these departments, especially realignment restructuring be done in a of highly complex societies and institu- in states, for instance, education, public more effective, effi cient and productive tions, where the problems facing the engineering, public infrastructure, public way? Or, on the basis of the original government need very different—and health and medical services are again principles, should we also consider not specialised—treatment from experts. staffed by IAS offi cers at the top. The dividing the higher into Nevertheless, this appears to be an situation is similar at the central level in branches at all, and instead, keep all of attractive idea and perhaps a feasible departments like energy, minerals and them as one perfect generalist group? option. However, the issues need to be metals, shipping and transports, educa- considered in more depth and with a tion, public healthcare, etc. This offers Do We Need Various Branches? nuanced understanding of the various very little opportunity for bright techni- Why do we need to have different branches facets involved. Therefore, without taking cal specialists at the top, and breeds for senior management levels? Especially a call on this proposition, let us examine large-scale resentment and dissatisfaction. when we have a generalist branch, the its underlying logic and the related A structure where competent, professional, IAS, which occupies most important debate of generalist vs specialist. and suitable offi cers are given due recog- leadership positions in diverse functional nition and responsibilities, irrespective domains. Why not then, abolish these Foxes and Hedgehogs of their service affi liation is the need of specialised branches, and have only IAS One of the great philosophers of the the hour. Though I will be discussing offi cers manning all such posts? 20th century, Isaiah Berlin (1953), in his these issues in reference to the civil ser- This idea of keeping every Group “A” essay “The Hedgehog and the Fox” says: vices alone, the ideas and suggestions civil servant as a generalist may seem There is a line among the fragments of the presented will be equally applicable to radical, naïve and even impractical. Greek poet Archilochus which says: “The fox the technical services as well. However, it will have one important knows many things, but the hedgehog knows

Economic & Political Weekly EPW SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 vol lIiI no 38 31 PERSPECTIVES

one big thing.” Scholars have differed about these domain areas. However, these rec- the ultimate decision-making authority the correct interpretation of these dark ommendations have not yet been at the highest level of an organisation or words, which may mean no more than that implemented. Further, it must be noted institution. the fox, for all his cunning, is defeated by the hedgehog’s one defence. But, taken fi gu- that these domain specialisations are Of course, in any organisation, with ratively, the words can be made to yield a recommended only for the IAS; the re- specifi c aims and responsibilities, and sense in which they mark one of the deepest port does not talk about other service especially in a government bureaucracy, differences which divide writers and think- branches.When there are already spe- both generalists and specialists are ers, and, it may be, human beings in general. cialised services for, for instance, police required. The important question is where Berlin analysed and interpreted this and revenue, why do IAS offi cers need to and how they should be placed, how idea in broader and philosophical terms, have a speci alisation in that domain, and in what manner their roles, respon- wherein the hedgehogs were seen as and, to take the argument further, why sibilities and functions should be decid- approaching the world through a single do IAS offi cers need to be at the top in ed and distributed so that the objective defi ning idea and having a central vision revenue departments or for that matter and goals of various organisations can and focus, while the foxes were perceived in police departments? This leads us be achieved with utmost effectiveness as those who draw upon wide experi- to the question of the desirability of a and effi ciency. ence and are fl exible and open to ideas. “generalist” holding the top position in a Alth o ugh it might be quite tempting to “specialist” branch. There is also a ten- Specialised Generalist see the resemblance of foxes and hedge- dency to reduce this debate of generalist vs In the Indian context, ministers, at state hogs with the more prosaic organisa- specialist in the bureaucracy/civil service or central government levels, posse ssing tional ideas of generalist and specialist, to the question or desirability that IAS the highest level of executive authority, at the deeper level there are nuanced offi cers need to specialise in certain are the ultimate generalists, as they are distinctions. In any case, I will not ex- domains, convenien tly ignoring and for- public representatives, and their qualifi - plore foxes and hed gehogs further, and getting that there already exist special- cations, professional and other experi- limit myself to the generalists and spe- ised branches and that the whole ques- ences often have no bearing on the min- cialists debate in relation to the senior tion needs a comprehensive treatment. istry/portfolio assigned to them. They bureaucracy of India. The debate of generalist vs specialist are expected to make decisions on the As of now, different services are struc- is an old one, and an issue which has been basis of their innate broad generalist tured and organised according to their contested at various levels, in different outlook and understanding, of course, functions. However, in a modern society wakes of the public sphere, including in aided and supported by a set of domain and in the complex federal democracy of business, professional, and of course the experts with vast experience. India, it is diffi cult to attain a neat func- civil services and governance. Identifying Therefore, in practical terms, comes tional division and this produces concomi- a generalist as someone who knows the crucial question: do we also need the tant issues. Whereas all other services “nothing about everything” and a speci- positions one or two levels below the can more or less be identifi ed with func- a list as someone who knows “everything minister to be held by generalists? The tional domains and often with depart- about nothing” is a striking, though answer to this question underpins the ments, the IAS cannot. In fact, due to its interesting, way of highlighting the key role being played by the IAS vs other generalist nature, colonial history and issue of the debate. It would suffi ce to service branches at various levels and in traditional infl uence, it has been the most say that there may not be a need to look various departments. visible, most powerful, infl uential and only for a binary solution. Even in the I would tend to largely agree that the most sought-after branch. context of foxes and hedgehogs, Berlin positions one or two levels below the The second Administrative Reform (1953) says that minister (which may be called the senior ARC Commission ( ) has recommended Like all over-simple classifi cations of this management level), which in practical that the IAS too needs to be a specialised type, the dichotomy becomes, if pressed, terms, are often the positions of heads of service (GoI 2009). Various commissions artifi cial, scholastic and ultimately absurd. department—variously called secretary, have put forward recommendations for Like all distinctions which embody any de- principal secretary, director, district mag- domain specialisation of IAS offi cers, with gree of truth, it offers a point of view from istrate, etc, in state government depart- which to look and compare, a starting point public fi nance and taxation, fi nancial for genuine investigation. ments, and secretary, additional secre- management, industry and trade, domes- tary, joint secretary, etc, in central govern- tic affairs and defence, housing and urban Let me also say that in a sense, the ment ministries—should be manned by affairs, agriculture and rural development, debate is superfl uous, and skips the most civil servants who are more generalist social sectors, energy, natural resource important point, as most often, instead than specialist. These levels are fairly manag e ment and environment being of really analysing the deeper organisa- senior ones, where the responsibilities some of the common domains identifi ed tional and institutional ideas ingrained in are more in the nature of providing broad (GoI 2009). These commissions have also this issue, the emphasis has been reduced leadership, formulating and supervising emphasised the assignment of offi cers on to the question of who, a generalist or a longer term visions, missions and related the basis of knowledge and experience in specialist, should possess fi nal control or goals of the organisation, conceiving,

32 SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 vol lIiI no 38 EPW Economic & Political Weekly PERSPECTIVES formulating and supervising exist today, it is noticed that most of the spans many departments. However, it issues, coordinating with diverse agencies services other than the IAS and IPS have operates in a world where there are and institutions across various levels and been created to man one particular other accounting services like the IDAS, types of organisations and governments, department (or even a sub-department) IP&TAFS and IRAS which are limited to and often thinking and communicating of the central government. Further, specifi c departments. This is clearly not across boundaries of domain knowledge there are only few service branches a very effi cient or rational organisation. and expertise. Concomitantly, these very except the IAS and IPS which function Thus, what we have is a hotchpotch of senior positions need not have very deep beyond the narrow confi nes of a depart- organised Group “A” services, sometimes and in-depth knowledge of the relevant ment. So (IRS) created for some administrative func- specialised fi eld of function/domain. (income tax) is responsible for manning tional domain, like accounting of gov- Such inputs can be and are generally top-level posts in the income tax depart - ernment, whereas in most other cases, provided by the specialised personnel at ment (it is actually not a department, created to be part of a department only, the middle and junior management but a sub-department, called Central to perform its own specialised function. levels of the organisations. Board of Direct Taxes, under the Depart- This creation of service branches has Therefore, higher the level of responsi- ment of Revenue, Ministry of Finance). often been done without much thought bility and position of a civil servant in an Similarly, the IRS (Customs and Central and planning. A recent example of a organisation, the more generalised should Excise) (IRS-CE) offi cers are responsible decision to create another Group “A” ser- their leadership style and appr o ach be. for running customs and central excise vice (in January 2017) without much While domain specialisation is very impo r - functions (again not a department, but thought for its use, function, logic, struc- tant, even crucial, as we move higher up in a sub-department, the Central Board of ture and future was the creation of the an organisation, a broader outlook, leader- Indirect Taxes and Customs [CBIC] under Indian Skill Development Service (ISDS) ship qualities, strategic thinking, etc, be- the Department of Revenue). The recent by the Ministry of Skill Development com e relatively more important than pure case of introduction of the goods and and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). Though domain expertise. These qualities are of a services tax and related fi scal reform is not stri ctly a “civil service”—as its re- more generalised nature, though certainly an excellent example of how inter- cruitment is to be carried out through enriched and sharpened by specialised service rivalries, turf wars and power the Indian Engineering Service Exami- experience and knowledge. politics between the IRS-CE and IAS can nations—it is an example of how these Therefore, ideally, one would prefer the derail and damage the implementation services are created, without much senior civil servants to be what I would call of an important and historical tax reform thought given to cadre planning, career “specialised generalists.” While this may in the nation. prospects, or roles and functionality in look like what the second ARC has recom- Similarly, branches like the Indian the long run. There are abundant exam- mended, my conception is very differ e n t . Information Service, Indian Postal Service, ples where many “services” so created in The second ARC only referred to the IAS, Indian Post and Telecommunication the past have lost both their relevance and the need for their specialisation in Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS), and functionality, and are now textbook different domain areas, and conveniently , Indian Defence cases of ineffi ciencies, redundancy, frus- forgot other large number of specialised Estate Service, Indian Defence Accounts tration and demotivation, bureaucratic services, and issues related to them. I am Service (IDAS), the three “civil” services apathy and red tape. emphasising that a generalist conception, of the railways—Indian Railway Traffi c From this perspective, the IAS, IPS (and superimposed on the specialised knowl- Service (IRTS), Indian Railway Person- to some extent the edge and experience, is likely to be the nel Service (IRPS) and Indian Railway [IFoS]), vs almost all the other services best for leadership roles in various orga- Accounts Service (IRAS)—fall in this cat- provides an interesting contrast. The IAS n isations, and the specialist service bran- egory of department-specifi c branches. and IPS offi cers are mostly responsible for ches in India need to be restructured and Some accounting services straddle func- running the state government and state- redesigned along these lines. tional domain and department specifi city. level . IAS offi cers are gen- I would like to add that, accordingly, Thus, the Indian Audit and Accounts eralists, and are responsible for running we need to organise/structure different Service (IA&AS) offi cers are part of the all the departments and domains, from service branches themselves in consonance Indian audit and accounts department, agriculture to healthcare, education, with “specialised generalist” domains. Let but are responsible for the broad func- urban development, and even revenue me examine some other related strands tion of auditing of all central and state (and in many cases supervising and of thoughts and issues having a bearing government organisations, and are respon- order too, as secretaries of the home on this discussion. sible for some accounting functions at the department). In the same vein IPS offi cers, state level too. The Indian Civil Accounts as specialised generalists, are responsible Central or State Governments? Service is again a functional service that for policing, internal security, and law Looking at the organisation and the dif- is responsible for the accounting function and order functions. ferent branches of Group “A” services as of central government organisations/ On the other hand, most of the central they have developed over the years and departments, and therefore this service service branches are created and confi ned

Economic & Political Weekly EPW SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 vol lIiI no 38 33 PERSPECTIVES to one department and functional area, So, are there, in fact, service branches (technically called Senior Administrative and that too within the central govern- that have outlived themselves? Two Grade [SAG]), a large number of service ment. They hardly work with state gov- branches readily come to my mind: branches still fl out the golden ratio men- ernments. This is a crucial difference Indian Information Service (IIS) and tioned above. Cases that need special with profound effects. Indian Trade Service (ITS), as these hardly mention here are the IRS-IT and IRS-CE. have much to do in this age of independent The intensity and severity of the prob- Life Cycle of a Service Branch media and liberalised and globalised lems differ from service to service, and Societies are dynamic entities, and so economies. It is worth mentioning that those few services which have been able are governments. Apropos, the organs of the opinion that it is the IAS which to depute their offi cers to other central the state and government structures should be abolished forthwith is also government organisations in large num- also need to change, reform, transform common; however, such opinions are bers have been able to somewhat resist and reinvent themselves. In the case of motivated more by jealousy than by ac- this problem. The IA&AS needs to be service branches, their importance can- tual appreciation of issues. mentioned here. not be overemphasised. Nevertheless, It would also be instructive to point there are situations where even the most Mintzberg Hierarchies out that this top-heavy organisational vigorous of reformation and reinvention The double whammy of being department- structure is found in states too, especially may not be able to salvage the relevancy specifi c and functioning for the central in the IFoS, and to a lesser extent, the IPS and utility of a service. In such cases, the government, is also responsible for giv- as well. The reasons remain the same. service should naturally die, having ing rise to another widespread problem Whenever the domain of a service is completed its life cycle. in all central Group “A” service branches: restricted to a department, this problem But is this possible in the Indian system their top-heavy structure. The widespread arises sooner or later, due to the creation of a permanent civil service, where em- understanding of a standard organisation of senior management-level posts in ployment is mostly for life, where there is structure propounded by Mintzberg order to ensure career progression. In a cadre-based employment, recruitment identifi es a higher management/strate- the case of the IFoS, which is confi ned to is carried out every year, and offi cers get gic apex in most organisations which the forest and environment department promoted, mostly without much regard sets strategies, policies and goals, and in states, a similar top-heavy structure to their performance but on the basis of provides directions to the entire organi- results, although the situation is amelio- years they have spent working (or not sation (Mintzberg 1979, 1981). The world rated by the fact that at senior level, working) with the government? Also, over, across public and private organisa- IFoS offi cers also move to work in central these kinds of organised service branches tions, this strategic core has to be a small government departments and minis- develop entrenched lobbies, form vested number compared to the total number of tries. IPS offi cers have similar problem, interest groups, exert pressure and infl u- people working in the organisation. It is though policing is a much broader and ence through legitimate as well as illegiti- estimated that on an average, it should larger functional domain, and the opp- mate means, and often do everything not be, more than 1% of the total num- ortunities for policing function at the possible to perpetuate their existence. ber of employees, and often lies in the central government are also very large. Therefore, any talk of abolishing a service range of 0.5%–1%. This golden ratio is IAS offi cers are largely immune to branch may just be a wishful thinking. now routinely fl outed in the case of most such issues, though there are a few Nevertheless, despite the diffi culties, Group “A” services. senior posts in each state, like on reve- the perpetuation of such a situation should To ensure promotion and career pro- nue boards or in state planning boards, not be allowed, and a genuine periodic gression, the Group “A” services have, over which are often used for sidelining exercise must be carried out to evaluate a period of time, increased the senior level offi cers who are not in favour with the and assess the relevance, roles and res p o- posts, mostly at the level of directors political dispensation. The generalist nsibilities, required reform, etc, of a ser- (technically called Junior Administrative nature of IAS offi cers—whereby they vice branch. Perhaps, the idea of a periodic to Selection Grade) and above. However, function mostly as heads of depart- cadre review, as I mentioned earlier, was since these service offi cers are confi ned ments/organisations/units in states— the same, though in practice it has largely to one department only, and that too and the opportunity to move to central been reduced to an exercise in increas- within the central government, the option government ministries and depa rtments ing the size of the service. Let me add of having a large number of senior man- in large numbers at the senior level, here that it may not always be necessary agement-level posts in any pyramidal takes care of such problems. to abolish a service/branch and compul- hierarchical department remains limited, sorily retire the offi cers. It could be pos- leading to a structure that is very top- Group ‘A’ or Group ‘B?’ sible to retrain, reutilise, and absorb heavy, with hardly any meaningful work We also need to examine the specialised, such offi cers in some other organisation, for those top-level offi cers. Most of the department-based creation of service service branch or functional domain, central services suffer from this prob- branches from another perspective. while abolishing the branch which has lem. Even if we consider only the very There are close parallels between what outlived its purpose and function. senior posts at the joint secretary level the central government does by creation

34 SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 vol lIiI no 38 EPW Economic & Political Weekly PERSPECTIVES or institution of civil service branches It seems that the Group “A” status— while selecting them for manning middle and what state governments also do in the attached promises of signifi cant management level (deputy secretary, their respective states. All the states in roles and responsibilities, as well as director, etc) and higher management- India also constitute and recruit depart- career progression prospects—and the level (joint secretary, additional secretary, ment-specifi c civil servants under differ- common recruitment process for these secretary, etc) positions in central gov- ent branches—they are generally called central branches and the IAS is largely ernment departments, ministries and state civil service offi cers—most numer- responsible for generating resentments organisations. This process is called the ously for administration, police and fi n a - and frustration among a large number Central Staffi ng Scheme (CSS), in which nce/revenue functions. These are desig- of offi cers vis-à-vis the IAS. It would all the organised Group “A” services nated Group “B” services, though offi cers make lot of sense, if from the beginning, (including technical services) participate. from these state civil services also hold other offi cers are aware of their status However, it is a well-known fact that managerial positions, and are subse- and subordinate position compared to through various subtle and not-so-subtle quently, through promotions, inducted the IAS or IPS. It is unjust, hypocritical machinations, IAS offi cers are able to into the IAS and IPS. It should also be and exploitative to promise equal status garner most of the higher management- noted that there are few states where and opportunities, but then fail to level posts. It has been a matter of record some of these state civil service posts are provide the same. that as much as 75%–85% of the joint even designated Group “A” from the In any organised and permanent secretary posts in the central govern- start, although offi cers remain as a part bureaucracy, well-defi ned, fair and logical ment ministries are occupied by IAS of the state services, and are not induct- structures, hierarchies and career pro- offi cers, and all the other services are ed into the IAS or IPS. These state service gression plans are important for smooth limited to meagre 15%–20% of such branches are again mostly organised in functioning and effi cient performance. posts. This is in contrast to the respec- the form of department-specifi c services These are markedly absent at present, tive strength of offi cers where the IAS with specialised functional domains. with respect to the different branches of cadre forms around 12% of the total Is not the central government doing the senior civil service. number of Group “A” civil service offi cers. the same thing by creating different cen- The situation is even worse in the case of tral services for its own departmental Hegemony of the IAS secretary positions, where IAS offi cers functions, inducting them at the Group All service offi cers are selected through arrogate more than 90% of these posts “A” level, and through common civil the same process, and are theoretically for themselves (Thakur 2015). This is service examination of UPSC? Then, why treated as equivalent, with “similar” pay despite the fact that all other services not make these central services also and emoluments. The term “similar” has have been trying, through various Group “B” services? In fact, even now, been used here instead of “same” because means, to highlight this anomaly to the certain Group “B” service offi cers are there are, no doubt, some hidden benefi ts political bosses, and correct the situa- recruited through this common civil which IAS offi cers arrogate to themselves, tion. Their failed attempts are testament services examination, notably adminis- one being availing two extra salary to the fact that it is the IAS offi cers, as a trative and police service offi cers for union increments at the time of promotion. lobby group and organisation, who have territories, for instance, the National Further, the nature and structure of the real say and command infl uence in Capital Territory of Delhi, Andaman and career prospects and promotions are government decision-making. Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman also similar theoretically. However, the As regards middle management-level and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli realities in terms of career prospects, posts, we see a much higher proportion Civil Service (DANICS) and Police Service domain and span of control and of re- of offi cers from central Group “A” branches (DANIPS) and for the Central Secretariat sponsibilities, type of works performed manning these posts. This is explained Service (CSS). The whole idea may fi nd and broader career potential are vastly by the fact that at this level, most of the strength in the fact that the middle different. This is the result of various IAS offi cers themselves are often not management level needs to be more reasons that have already been discussed. interested in joining the central govern- specialised, whereas the top-level man- These differences result not only in ment since they are serving mostly as agement needs to be what I, as men- resentment and dissatisfaction, but are district magistrates in their respective tioned above, call “specialised generalists.” also refl ected in various other forms, states. Further, some of the IAS offi cers Why should civil servants, working within some of which are detrimental to the who are with the central government at central government departments and as overall health of the bureaucracy and these levels are mostly from those states a specialised cadre, be assigned a Group governance structure. considered “not so good” like the north- “A” status, when their state counterparts It would be pertinent to note the con- eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir have not been? Should not then, all trasting situation at the senior level in (and even Kerala), or those few who the specialised cadre offi cers be cate- central government secretariat/ministries have been allocated a state cadre distant gorised as Group “B” offi cers, whether where this difference is starkly visible. from their home state (for example, they are with the central government or As per norms and rules of the DoPT, someone from Bihar allotted to Tamil state governments? all services are (largely) treated equally Nadu cadre) against their choice.

Economic & Political Weekly EPW SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 vol lIiI no 38 35 PERSPECTIVES Let me highlight one more aspect, approaches which can be taken in an be much better than the existing organi- which may be taken as further evidence attempt to tackle this complex situation. sation. The following could be its salient in support of specialised generalist. All While discussing the issues along various features and related benefi ts: the specialised services do take part in axes, three possible approaches emerge. (i) Service branches would be organised the CSS process and offi cers are then allo- First, let there be no branches. All senior as per broad domain/functional areas. cated to different ministries and depart- civil servants should be considered part They should not be organised or created ments, and in many cases, to such do- of one homogeneous group, and be as- for any specifi c department or for narrow mains which are not their specialisation. signed different responsibilities and purposes. The underlying principle is to In a way, this is recognition of the fact functional domains from time to time, have a cadre of “specialised generalist” that at the higher (and middle) manage- as well as move seamlessly between dif- offi cers who are capable, competent and ment level, which is the leadership, policy, ferent levels of government. It is quite exposed enough to shoulder responsibi- and strategy level, the generalist app r o ach similar to what would be the case if we lities of the Mintzberg strategic apex, becomes more important. In fact, the have only the IAS, and no other service. providing leadership and strategic entire CSS design can be termed as The second option is to let the infor- direction in public management. generalising some of the specialists and mal, but actually visible, distinction bet- (ii) This will help not only in creating specialising some of the generalists. ween the IAS (and perhaps IPS too) and feasible service branches, with robust, other service branches become formal, well-planned career prospects, but will Broader Domain-based Branches wherein the IAS (and IPS) will have a also take care of the problem of very I have, over the course of this article, separate and distinct identity and clear small, overspecialised services branches. examined the issue of structure, organi- demarcation assigning them superiority Obviously, there will not be as many sation, branching and grouping of the as a service. This formalisation would branches as is the case now (25–30), senior organised civil service in India on perhaps also require a separate exami- but may be limited to not more than various axes: nation/selection process for the IAS (and 10 branches. (i) Need or otherwise of dividing the IPS). Further, it may also be desirable to (iii) Such a structure will also have the pool of senior civil servants into branches, designate the present central service appropriate mix of specialisation and and the basis on which this should been branches as a Group “B” service, respon- generalised exposure, with good scope for done. sible mainly for middle-management reorganisation and cross-agency experi- (ii) Roles and responsibilities for general- functions, confi ned to their functional ence, leading to greater fl exibility. This ists vs specialists, and the debate sur- department, and supervised at the top exposure to specialised as well as gener- rounding this issue. by IAS offi cers. alised domains within a broad function, (iii) Creation of service branches which The third option, the obverse of the where transferable skill sets would be used are confi ned to a specialised role within second, is to strictly ensure the promised over a larger, diverse domain, will lead a department. equality of service branches in terms of to greater effi ciency and effectiveness. (iv) Many service branches limited to status and identity, career prospects, equal (iv) Service cadres, organised on the ba- central government whereas IAS, IPS are opportunity to perform and excel, and sis of large domain areas should also be for both state and central governments. also in ensuring equal and fair chance in designed in a way to make the movement (v) Dynamics of society and govern- all appointments/assignments and r e s - of offi cers across levels of government— ment and life cycle of service branches. pon si bi lities. Perhaps, it will also require for example, between central and state (vi) Organisational design and limita- making the IAS a strictly specialised ser- government—natural and effortless. It tions of branches leading to top-heavy vice. A hotchpotch, hypocritical and unfair should be something like the case is now structures. situation, where the reality is very dif- for the IAS and IPS. (vii) Existence of Group “B” service ferent from what is stated and promised (v) Of course, all these services should be branches in states for specialised func- at the outset, has already created serious treated equally, as a Group “A” service, tions within a department, and their un- organisational issues in the whole burea- in practice. Once we have robust service canny resemblance to central service ucracy and in the effi cient management branches based on larger domains, doing branches. of cadre-based higher civil services. more meaningful and diverse work, with The numerous facets of the civil service Implementing any of the above options ample opportunity for growth, exposure structure highlighted above are not only is easier said than done. Nevertheless, let and experience in broader areas, the sat- interrelated and interdependent, but are me sketch out an alternative vision and isfaction and motivation will naturally also entangled and constantly interact- scheme for reorganising and restructuring be enhanced, while the present situation ing, thereby giving rise to the discourse the different branches of the services. A of rivalries, frustration and demotivation, on need for an organisational redesign civil service cadre, organised into feasible will certainly be signifi cantly reduced. of civil service branches. and worthwhile branches in accordance (vi) Such a scheme will also be compati- How can this be achieved? There could with large domain areas could have signifi - ble with reforms in other areas of civil be many, largely though not fully inde- cant advantages over the three alternative services, like lateral entry, open and fair pendent reform and reorganisational structures proposed, and certainly would opportunities for important assignments,

36 SEPTEMBER 22, 2018 vol lIiI no 38 EPW Economic & Political Weekly PERSPECTIVES internal competition and recognition of from sovereign functions to provision of What remains to be done now is to excellence and efforts, revamped per- public goods, and then to economic and examine and analyse all the individual formance management systems, etc. social management. The sovereign func- branches of civil service like the IAS, IPS, tion should always be performed by IRS, IA&AS, etc, within the framework of Identifying Broad Domain Areas state. Most of the public goods, due to the broad domain-based service branches How to identify and defi ne these broad the externalities inherent in them, and discussed above, what are the issues with domain areas and then create service also due to their non-rival and non-ex- individual branches and how can they be branches for them? One approach could cludable character, have to be provided handled and also try to fi gure out how to be to identify the areas where modern by public authorities, fi nanced through move towards a broad domain-based governments operate and then group taxation. In the case of provision of eco- branching structure. It will also deline- them into broader categories, thereby nomic and social goods, service delivery, ate how these present branches can be coming out with feasible and operational regulation and control, market mecha- redesigned and reorganised and in that domains for constituting service branches. nism may be applied, but it also depends process some more concrete ideas and In this exercise, evaluation of the exist- upon the nature and level of develop- proposals for a better and more effective ing branches, their roles, functions and ment of the market as well as public civil service organisation would be fash- relevance, would also be useful, and the institutions. Some form of government ioned out. possibilities of mergers, abolitions, etc, management and intervention will, should be taken recourse to, while also nevertheless, be required in our country References matching and aligning them with the in the foreseeable future. Berlin, Isaiah (1953): “The Hedgehog and the Fox,” functional identifi cation of government As societies and nations develop, The Proper Study of Mankind: An Anthology of Essays, London: Vintage Books, Random operations. Further, the distribution of some of the functions falling under the House, pp 436–37. power/functions between central and provision of public goods can be per- GoI (2009): “Tenth Report, Second Administrative Reform Commission, Refurbishing of Personnel state governments through the Constitu- formed through private involvement and Administration–Scaling New Heights,” Chap- tion of India into union, state and initiative, with the government playing ters 8 and 9, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances; Government will also be useful in the role only of a regulator, or facilitator. of India, . identifying domain areas. In any case, many functions falling — (2010): “Civil Services Survey—A Report,” Department of Administrative Reforms & Pub- Three broad categories of functions within economic and social management lic Grievances, Ministry of Personnel, Public have generally been identifi ed, which a can be, and are being performed and Grievances and Pensions, Government of India, modern state needs to perform, and is services being delivered with the active New Delhi. Guha, Ramchandra (2007): Indian after Gandhi—A also expected to be performing in the involvement of market mechanisms. History of World’s Largest Democracy, New coming decades. In the specifi c context The whole idea of this threefold York: Harper Perennial, p 755. Mintzberg, Henry (1979): The Structuring of of India these can be categorised as: classifi cation is to come out with a more Organizations, Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice rational, meaningful and functionally Hall, pp 215–97. — (1981): “Organization Design: Fashion of Fit?” Sovereign functions: Law and order, effective division of civil service branches. Harvard Business Review Vol 59, Jan–Feb, internal security, foreign relations, fi scal However, despite this exercise, it is pp 103–16. and revenue management, defence, not easy to get a very neat and clean Thakur, Pradeep (2015): “IPS, IRS Want End to ‘IAS Raj’ in Secretary Posts, Seek Pay Hike,” Times ensuring justice and fairness solution. There are many grey areas and of India, 3 May, https://timesofi ndia.indiatimes. overlaps, as well as contrasting and even com/india/IPS-IRS-want-end-to-IAS-raj-in-se- cretary-posts-seek-pay-hike/articleshow /47 1 3- Provision of public goods: Development confusing possibilities. 5624.cms. administration, education, public health- care, human development, promoting EPW E-books general welfare, carrying out distribu- tive transfers, protecting property rights Select EPW books are now available as e-books in Kindle and iBook (Apple) formats. and enforcement of contracts for opera- The titles are tion of markets 1. Village Society (ED. SURINDER JODHKA) (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CS62AAW ; Economic and social management: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/village-society/id640486715?mt=11) Infrastructure development and manage- 2. Environment, Technology and Development (ED. ROHAN D’SOUZA) ment, economic and fi nancial regulation (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CS624E4 ; and control, urban and rural habitats, and https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/environment-technology-development/ environment, natural resource manage- id641419331?mt=11) ment, power and energy, agricultural, 3. Windows of Opportunity: Memoirs of an Economic Adviser (BY K S KRISHNASWAMY) commercial and industrial management, (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CS622GY ; communication and transport. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/windows-of-opportunity/id640490173?mt=11) In a loose sense, the importance of Please visit the respective sites for prices of the e-books. More titles will be added gradually. these functions decreases as we move

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