11/03/2021 - Governance

KEY POINTS

Measures

Reform at the recruitment stage

·        The IAS and other services should start attracting at a much younger age.

·        The age of entry and the attempts allowed to appear for the preferred service should be substantially reduced.

·        The recruits should spend their most productive years serving the nation.

Train the recruits frequently 

·        The curriculum at the academies, as in Mussoorie, should be revised periodically in keeping with the challenges of the time.

·        Training should be valued much more, not as relaxation time after an exhausting examination or a break from the rigours of field/office work.

Sectoral specialisations within broad generalisation

·        There is an urgent need for specialisation in broad sectors such as the financial, infrastructural, after the officers complete 10-12 years at the sub-district and district levels.

·        State governments, in consultation with the IAS associations, and other experts, can start identifying officers based on their track-record.

Use big data to measure governance quality 

·        It is necessary to devise appropriate methods to measure the performance of, say, departments/state governments, based on big data.

·        This, in turn, would reflect on the performance appraisal of the bureaucratic leaders.

·        For example, the secretary of a poorly performing department cannot be rated as outstanding.

Discourage the practice of appointing retiring/retired officers

·        Except for very few Constitutional posts like the CAG’s, most of the quasi-judicial posts may be offered to officers well before their retirement.

·        Such a step would go a long way in eliminating the widely prevalent practice of nepotism and favour-seeking. 

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