India’s ‘steel frame’ does need a check

India's governance challenges, especially within the bureaucracy, have prompted calls for urgent reforms. The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and its inefficient functioning continue to hamper effective governance, despite the country’s economic growth. Administrative reforms have been proposed, with efforts by the government to introduce measures such as lateral entry, but systemic issues persist.

Legacy and Challenges of the IAS

• Colonial Legacy: The IAS, which evolved from the British-era Indian Civil Service, has remained central to India's governance. However, the legacy of colonial bureaucratic structure has left deep-rooted issues, including political interference and outdated practices.
• Politicisation and Lack of Specialisation: Frequent political interventions in transfers and promotions, coupled with a lack of domain specialisation, hinder bureaucrats from becoming effective policy specialists.
• Corruption and Inefficiency: India’s bureaucracy faces significant inefficiency, with poor quality of policy implementation as reflected in international rankings, undermining the effectiveness of governance and economic growth.

Government's Efforts and Resistance to Reform

• Push for Lateral Entry: The Modi government has sought to diversify governance by introducing lateral entry, recruiting domain experts from various fields into senior bureaucratic roles, aiming to bring fresh perspectives to policymaking.
• Challenges and Resistance: Despite the efforts, lateral entry has faced criticism from within the bureaucracy, with concerns about undermining morale, creating distortion in promotions, and neglecting reservation provisions for marginalized groups.
• Modi’s U-turn on Lateral Entry: The government has recently backtracked on certain lateral entry reforms under political pressure, revealing the contentious nature of such initiatives.

Challenges and Path Forward

• Political Interference and Institutional Resistance: The IAS faces resistance to reforms such as performance-based promotions and specialisation due to entrenched seniority-based progression and political interference in bureaucratic appointments.
• Need for a Multifaceted Approach: Proposals like the Civil Services Standards, Performance, and Accountability Bill (2010) and judicial interventions have had limited success, with political resistance and lack of enforcement preventing significant reform.
• Strengthening Accountability and Efficiency: Reform should prioritise merit-based recruitment, domain expertise, protection from political transfers, and data-driven performance evaluation, enhancing the accountability and efficiency of India’s bureaucratic system.

Practice Question: 

Q. Critically analyse the challenges facing India's bureaucracy, particularly the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and evaluate the effectiveness of recent administrative reforms such as lateral entry. What additional measures are needed to modernise the bureaucracy for enhancing governance and supporting India’s economic aspirations?