Bureaucrats: Generalist or a Specialist? A Fine balance

Indian Civil Services (earlier Imperial Civil Service) was set up by the British Colonizers, to hire only British people into Covenant service for the administration of British India. After Independence, it was adopted with some minor changes and inculcated into the Indian Bureaucracy, making it the most prestigious, most respected and most sought after job even today.

All the officers catering to Administrative services (IAS), Foreign Services (IFS), Forest Services (IFoS), Police Services (IPS), Revenue Services (IRS) etc. are appointed by the constitutional body known as Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). It is the HR branch for Government of India which conducts various exams like CSE, CDS, CISF, Economic Services (IES), Statistical Services, among many others.

While there are specialized exam for IES (Economic services) and ISS (Indian Statistical Services), other services are covered under common exam Civil Service Exam (CSE) with an exception for Indian Forest Services. Although, it is combined with preliminary test but a separate domain specific Mains exam is conducted for it.

It is considered as a generalist exam as all the aspirants are required to study and prepare for the same exam, that means, an IPS aspirant and an IFS aspirant are studying and preparing the same syllabus and appearing in the same exam. However, the demands for both services are different.

An IPS officer is expected to maintain peace in the district, be courageous in his/her decisions actions and quick to think on his/her toes if and when some Law and Order problem arises, which can range from a petty theft crime to an insurgency like in Naxal areas of Jharkhand or ULFA insurgents in Assam.

On the other hand, an IFS or a Diplomat is expected to know and understand about the nations on a geopolitical scale. They represent India’s interest and views on a global platform which may be in bilateral relations or at The United Nations.

An IAS is expected to have a policy making mindset which takes into consideration interests of all stakeholders in the society, namely, general public, people belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward classes, Economically Weaker Sections, Specially Abled, Orphans, Aged People, etc. Their main responsibility is to act as a link between public and the govt. while assuring deliverance to the last man standing.

Evidently, different services require different set of capabilities. However, the preparatory stages before clearing CSE exam are same for all aspirants.  Same subjects, same exam pattern, same qualifications, and same expectations as a candidate. The syllabus is so constructed that every bureaucrat is expected to have knowledge of basics of Indian history, society, geography, economy and polity along with current developments at all the levels.

This, along with expanding their knowledge, develops critical thinking and problem solving attitude, it readies them for the challenges that awaits them for when they join the services. The preparation gets concretized and more elaborative after selection, when the candidate proceeds toward service specific training as a part of his/her mandatory probation period of at least 2 years.

Apart from these highly trained bureaucrats, experts are hired through lateral entry into the bureaucracy. Their expertise, especially where high domain specific knowledge is required, helps the administration to look deeper while framing the public policies.

Argumentatively, need for specialized personnel through lateral entry is an added strain on the government, especially, considering they are hired in addition to the bureaucrats already selected through rigorous process of UPSC CSE. Thus, doubling the financial and operational burden and increasing the time taken for decision making.

Surprisingly, it is prevalent only in India and Pakistan, and therefore, seen as the colonial legacy of Britishers. When it comes to UK, the Westminster model of Civil Services is that they are not the public servants, but are the “Servants of the Crown” and hence, appointed by the Monarchy. They can be either generalist or specialist, but most definitely favorite and trusted people of the Crown.

In other countries like USA and France, Bureaucrats are appointed to their services based on domain specific knowledge as a part of their selection process. For e.g., Directors of CIA, NIA are appointed on merit, easing the responsibility of the government along with ensuring quick decision making.

Conclusively, the present Indian model of civil services is not without its flaws, flaws which can and should be addressed by amending the colonialized set up to a more Swadeshi set up to benefit India and its citizens, nationally and internationally.  

Authored By

Kushika Madan

Researcher at The Geojuristoday