Higher pay and perks are no remedy for the steady calcification of career path and erosion of learning opportunities that demand innovative civil service reform
The elite Civil Services now seem focused on achieving pay parity with the corporate sector. The IAS and IPS Associations have made high-pitched presentations on this before the Sixth Pay Commission.
The IAS Association has cautioned that “poor pay affects governance and poor governance can bring down economic growth from 9% to 3.5%”. Pleading for monetization of perks, market-linked salaries and performance-linked incentives, the Association has sought freedom of “lateral movement” for officers to government, private and non-profit organizations “as per the terms of the borrowing organization”.
They have lost sight of the basic ethos of the IAS and its nature as a “risk-free permanent civil service”. The corporate sector is a “risk-prone temporary hire and fire service” with high pay. If the IAS seeks market-linked salaries, it must accept “market-linked” risks.
The Constitution’s founding fathers apprehended an era of “convulsive politics” and “self-seeking politicians” after Independence. So a role was envisaged for the IAS to “give a fair and just administration to the country and manage it on an even keel”. The IAS was designed and built around a 35-year career with entry after college and exit at retirement. It is a place for employees who care more about long-term security. That was the USP of the Civil Services till the 1970s.
Today, when young, educated and bright Indians are asked to picture themselves in public service careers, they see dull and dead-end jobs ruled by security and seniority, not performance.
The huge pay increases given by the Fifth Pay Commission did not boost the Civil Services’ performance.
Governments at all levels have neglected the career development process for decades, allowing departments and agencies to ignore the steady calcification of career paths and erosion of learning opportunities. Remedies could include a flatter, leaner, more agile government; well defined career paths; and stable tenures coupled with dynamic rotational assignments and performance-related promotions.
(The writer, a former IAS officer, is managing trustee of SUSTAIN, a Chennai NGO for urban issues)
IAS (retd) with a distinguished career of 40 years - worked in Army, Govt, Private, Politics & NGOs.
