civil service reforms

 The seductive trap of the civil services

Public service neither has the monopoly nor does it provide any extraordinary opportunity to serve the nation

Two stories 

The first story from Maharashtra 

brought a cloud over the  reputation of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which has selected government officers based on merit for over seven decades without any major controversies. 

The second story from Delhi 

The civil services is the major seductive trap, which can be detoxified by some readjustment of public policy and popular perspective.

The underbelly

The attraction for the civil services is historical

 1 About five decades ago, when we were students, preparing for the civil services was considered a national pastime driven by the dignity and security of a government job and by the dearth of employment opportunities. 

2 Economic liberalisation 

changed it all by opening up job options in the market. The government too reduced intake for its services in its zeal to downsize. 

3 तथापि, चूंकि इसके साथ सरकारी कार्यों में कोई कटौती नहीं की गई तथा सेवा संवर्गों की अधिकृत संख्या में कोई कमी नहीं की गई, इसलिए समय के साथ भारी घाटा पैदा हो गया। 

2008 में छठे वेतन आयोग द्वारा अनुशंसित सरकारी वेतन संशोधन के क्रियान्वयन के साथ, जब आर्थिक मंदी थी और निजी क्षेत्र अपने कर्मचारियों की छंटनी कर रहा था, सरकार एक पसंदीदा नियोक्ता के रूप में पुनः उभरी।

faked her identity and documents by officer  

a trainee officer in Maharashtra was found to have faked her identity and documents and then by the terrible and entirely avoidable deaths of three aspirants in Delhi.

Meeting with aspirants 

One such aspirant has been sending me mails for the last seven years, sharing his repeated failures. I could not succeed in persuading him to change course despite his qualifying for the now-discredited National Eligibility Test. 

Such is the allure of the civil services, and the Indian Administrative Service has come to represent that fatal attraction. I once interacted with 28 aspirants who had qualified for the interview. Only one of them was appearing for the interview for the first time; the others were taking their fifth or sixth chance.

death of three students 

The catastrophe of the drowning of the three aspirants has raised a clamour for regulating the coaching institutions and for stricter enforcement of urban regulations. 

Some suggestions

First, the upper age limit for candidates 

needs to be reduced. After the Kothari Commission’s recommendations and subsequent changes, and with age relaxation for various special categories, a candidate can be nearly 34-35 years old at the time of entry into service. 

Given that the lower age limit for eligibility is 21, the upper age limit should be reduced to 25 with a relaxation of two years for all special categories. 

The number of attempts 

may be restricted to three, with an additional attempt allowed to the special categories.

Business of coaching industry 

The wide age band and the many attempts allowed has created an enormous market for the notorious coaching industry to thrive on. 

Millions of aspirants join these centres every year. The success rate is so small that it is difficult to calculate. 

An analysis must be done to show how many candidates keep repeating their efforts and eventually give up after exhausting their chances.  

After joining services 

इतने लंबे और कठिन संघर्ष के बाद उत्तीर्ण होने वाले लोगों को परीक्षा उत्तीर्ण करने में अवास्तविक उपलब्धि का अहसास होना स्वाभाविक है। लेकिन जब वे अपने बार-बार के प्रयासों और कड़ी मेहनत से अर्जित सफलता से इतने अभिभूत होते हैं, तो सेवा में रहते हुए आगे बढ़ने के लिए उनके अंदर कितनी आग बची रहती है? 

कुछ लोगों के लिए यह समय सार्वजनिक सेवा में प्रवेश के बाद मिलने वाली जिम्मेदारी को निभाने के लिए कड़ी मेहनत करने के बजाय अपने श्रम और भाग्य का फल भोगने का होगा।

युवा पीढ़ी को इस धारणा से मुक्त करना भी उतना ही महत्वपूर्ण है कि सरकारी सेवा ही राष्ट्र की सेवा करने का एकमात्र तरीका है। एक अच्छा शिक्षक, एक नैतिक लेखाकार, एक कर्तव्यनिष्ठ रसायनज्ञ और एक ईमानदार ठेकेदार बनना भी समाज की सेवा करने और राष्ट्र निर्माण में योगदान देने के तरीके हैं।

 राष्ट्र निर्माण में ईमानदारी से की गई मेहनत का ही योगदान होता है। सार्वजनिक सेवा का न तो एकाधिकार है और न ही यह राष्ट्र की सेवा करने का कोई असाधारण अवसर प्रदान करती है।

source the hindu