Initially Civil Services in India were designed to achieve the goals of neutrality and effectiveness, which seems to be lacking in the present context. Do you agree with the view that drastic reforms are required to Civil Services? Comment.

The Civil Services Examination competitive examination in India for the recruitment of various Civil Services of the Government of India that includes Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Police Service.

Civil service in India

Lord Cornwallis first introduced civil service. The Charter Act of 1853 provided for the open competitive examination of the recruitment of civil servants across the country. The maximum age was changed several times. Presently drastic reforms to Civil Services have become essential.

Reforms needed

• Civil service is the backbone of the governance of the country so the number of officers should be increased to deliver flawless development processes.
• A trend of merging several departments into one single unit has been noticed. It may stall the process of public service. More portfolio distribution is needed for more rationalization and harmonization of services.
• Civil servants are recruited from various study background. A little relevance of subjects and duty will ensure proper utilization of the skill set.
• Apart from the technical and knowledge-based training moral education is also needed in order to reduce corruption.
• A Model Code of Governance should be framed to maintain the quality of governance.
• Adoption of e-governance for making it more accessible, effective, and accountable.
• Regular transfer of civil servants to keep them away from creating political nexus.
• Grading the officer based on their duty would encourage civil servants who are highly motivated to deliver public service.

Comment

The purpose of the civil service reform is to deliver uninterrupted public services into a dynamic, efficient, and accountable way for the ultimate development of the country. Reforms are needed in the field of domain-related training, performance-based promotion, training for the interaction with the people to understand their problems, etc.

A shift is needed for effective governance, focusing on decentralization and citizen-centricity. Joint cooperation of the civil servants, civil society organizations, and the private players would enhance the process of delivering the country’s governance.