We are the IAS

These are the assumptions an IAS officer lives with, and the reality there:

• We are in this service to serve.
  The truth is, we scarcely behave as servants.
• We handle vast sums of money and human resources;
  we do not possess any expertise for this task. We are not trained accordingly.
• We have a very high opinion of ourselves and our “intelligence” and “experience”, and think people respect us for what we are.
  In reality, people genuflect before us due to the power we wield to either do benefit or damage.
• Over the years we have developed the tendency to distribute largesse, whether in kind or in ideas.
  In reality, we do not own what we distribute.
• We are paid to manage things efficiently and create systems.
  In actuality, we thrive on mismanagement and chaos because that gives us the power to choose some over others.
• We are supposedly the steel frame.
  In reality, we have no long-term vision. We take adhoc decisions, looking to what the authority above us wants.
• We exploit the system for preferential treatment — for ourselves and people known to us.
  We are hypocritical enough to say we do it to “help” people.
• We know if we create systems where everyone has easy access to services, we shall become superfluous.
  So we let things be.
• We love to expand and enhance our sphere of work.
  We do not bother to place systems to bring in the needed efficiency.
• Worst of all, we are the most pompous, officious and ill-bred set of people.
  And we have the nerve to say we work for the people of this country.
• In reality we have no stakes in this country — our children often study abroad and we have created a niche cocoon of the luxuries this system can give us.
  We have no empathy with the larger populace, though we are always careful to make the right noises.
• If there were any justice, we would have long been extinct.
  But we are too powerful to let ourselves be annihilated.

We are the IAS.

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Law is the answer to corruption

In India, politicians in power are the richest in that category anywhere in the world. The reason is enormous power and discretion they wield without any accountability. Next comes bureaucrats with lots of power in their hands with very less accountability. Combined, they just loot the nation.  Corruption undermines merit, that results in economic under performance of India as a nation. Corruption today is a high profit and low risk activity. This must be reversed.

• In a vibrant society everything is provided for by law and only a few things are left to the discretion of politicians.
• The law should govern the nation where the judiciary, the police and the civil servants dispense justice and services to the citizens in merit order, with no discretion whatsoever. The discretionary powers must be with autonomous institutions never with politicians. The politicians must be confined to making laws and enforcing them properly.
• But in Indian civil society it is 90% politics and 10% law whereas in American civil society it is 90% law and 10% politics.
• Prosperity evolves by the laws of nature, particularly the entrepreneurial character of the people.
• Redundant institutions like President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha, Governors, Legislative councils etc consume the tax-payer's money without giving anything tangible in return. These must be wound up.
• All public institutions must be headed by well qualified, experienced, meritorious professionals in that field, rather than politicians or IAS officers who know nothing about that organisation.
• Justice delayed is justice denied. There is no justification for courts piling up millions of cases and making litigants wait for their life time to get justice. The procedures could be streamlined and expedited to dispose of cases with in six months time.
• Government must be small so that rule of law is implemented by the judiciary, police and the  civil servants.
• Only mass literacy will make the voter cast his vote to the right candidate. Progress is indigenous. It cannot be imported.
• The main reason for India’s pervasive corruption is material greed. Some 20 million Indians have left India to seek monetary gains abroad. These people were intelligent people and were educated at national expense and they serve foreign countries. This much of talent migration would not have occurred had there been matching opportunities in India. This basic moral defect has to be kept under leash only by law. 
• Indian politics, instead of standing on the legal high ground, opted for huge state power. All powerful ministers, MPs, MLAs and IAS officers amass wealth without any let or hindrance. A tall leader is required to put on the pedestal the majesty of law. Then only corruption will disappear from India. India has to take a U-turn from politics to law, from money to moral rectitude. Political change has always been difficult to effect. Only an ethical society can achieve this arduous task. 
• Economic progress must have a firm legal and democratic foundation. The West too is suffering because of the excessive pursuit of wealth and many are predicting even the demise of liberalism. If the West cannot afford immoral affluence, how can India afford it? 
• To seek to pursue growth on a shaky legal foundation is dangerous. Economic growth in the absence of law has created the present corruption levels. India must strengthen its judiciary. Then judiciary, police and the civil servants will put an end to black money.
• In India, the job of a minister is glamorous with power and pomp, whereas a judge, police and civil servant have to do their jobs in relative obscurity. A minister should realize that her or his job is largely decorative and that the job of the judge, police and civil servant is constructive. True politician must be humble. By a political awakening, a legal illumination and honesty in civil service, corruption can be put to an end. 
• Citizens must become alert and create the right atmosphere for a lofty political leadership to emerge. A highly politicised society has to become a highly legalised society. Politics is partisan, law is unitary. Moving from politics to law is evolutionary progress.
• As politics is deep-rooted in the moral character of a society. An MP who is willing to live on bread and water will not need any bribe. His heart and stomach should be filled by patriotism. Also, economics is a zero-sum came. When the rich live in palaces the poor have to live on the streets. A voluntary tendency to lead a simple life by all will create the right atmosphere for economic probity.
• We cannot create a draconian state to end corruption. The moral transformation of civil society must be natural and based on persuasive leadership. Money should become meaningful, moral and deeply satisfying. If true wealth is found in a rich heart, no one will want to touch money even with a barge pole.
• Law is the fulcrum of democracy and democracy is what holds the people together without force. Law and democracy can combine to form the life of politics to cleanse the country of corruption. Cheap politics has done enough damage to India. India needs Newtons and Einsteins in its politics to make it clean, pure and inspiring. Then the best and the brightest will come to politics to make it a haven of virtue and science.

In a democracy, winning election doesn't confer on winner 
autocratic powers to do nonsense things. He must confine to rule of law.
People may or may not have respect for the law; but they must fear the law.

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In India, politicians life style is more vulgar than erst while kings, nizams and zamindars. Even an MLA's monthly expenditure is more than Rs.10 lakhs! Their spending is outright ludicrous. Political parties and their massive election expenditure is a point of concern. Election reforms must change this by providing level playing platform for all contestants with least expenditure. Political contributions from other than individuals must be prohibited, which is the big source of corruption, crony capitalism, nepotism and quid-pro-quo. Even individual donations must be by bank transfer and all donations received and expenditure accounts of political parties are properly maintained and must be audited.

Basanth Kumar P, IAS spends Rs.16,100 for daughters marriage!

In these modern days of  "to be famous for being famous", living a life of a role model is neither easy nor appreciated. Kudos to Patnala Basanth Kumar, IAS, VC, VUDA, Vizag and his family for spending just Rs.16,100 for daughter's marriage despite affordability and holding high public position. A great role model for emulation by all.

These days marriage expenditure is anywhere between Rs.10 lakhs to Rs. 100 lakhs for middle & upper middle classes. It is sheer wastage of money and vulgar display of wealth. Wastage of food items will be at its worst.

Community marriages (mass marriages) provide alternate platforms for simple marriages and alleviate the financial burden. Government & NGO's  should promote community marriages.

IAS should be abolished. Why?

In India, no person from well to do family will aspire for job. They either continue family's existing businesses or start new enterprises. It is mostly middle & lower classes with meager disposable money look for jobs. IAS, without any doubt remains most preferred job ever since independence.

• Around half a million youngsters across the country attempt the preliminary test of the Civil Services Examinations conducted by the UPSC every year. The final recruitment is for 1000 officers in Central and All-India Civil Services. Out of which 100 officers are for IAS.
• Considering the difficulty levels of the exam, and the tiny proportion of applicants who make it as final recruits, the exam is considered one of India’s toughest. The ones who clear it are hailed as India’s brightest.
• Hard work through a long period of slogging for the exam helps but sheer luck is not ruled out.
• The recruitment system is a legacy of the colonial ICS that gave way to the IAS and over the years, the exam pattern was updated to make it more inclusive.
• The bureaucracy in India continues to be a relic. It is an archaic system designed for a poor colonial state and definitely not for a modern democracy and a major economy. 
• There have even been a few calls for the abolition of the IAS. There is no doubt that it needs urgent reforms. 
• The exam is not designed to recruit for the specific needs of various services. It is a generalist selection for specialist roles.
• Other than successful IAS candidates, for all others it was neither their first choice nor the line of career that they were best suited for. 
• As a generalist service, the IAS offers a variety of work and powers than the other specialist services. Early in their careers, IAS officers are entrusted with administrative powers for the maintenance of law and order, revenue collection, implementing development works and social schemes and performing quasi-judicial functions in districts with huge perks & privileges, attractive for an average Indian youth.
• The District Collector, post reserved exclusively for the IAS, is the Chief Executive of a district entrusted with immense responsibilities and commensurate powers. Collector for a district or Commissioner for a Municipal Corporation is similar to CM of a state and PM of the Union but without any accountability to the electorate and enjoys job security and promotions despite poor performance.
• After a decade in the districts, IAS officers move into Secretariats, where they run the Ministries and Departments of the State and Union governments and it is the IAS, with its historical advantage in pay and promotions, that is able to monopolize the most senior roles.
• A non-IAS officer can never become secretary of a department even after serving for full life time.
• IAS leadership of the bureaucracy had always scuttled administrative reforms for lateral entry of domain experts that threatens their monopoly, so far. Non-specialist IAS officers have retarded the progress of  the nation, so far.
• It is assumed that the common generalist exam looks for trainability so that any service-specific skills and knowledge required for the job can be imparted during training or picked while working.
• The UPSC would do well to conduct separate exams for each service, with candidates having desired skills and interest in the job. This will have our youth entering, say, the Indian Police Service because they really want to become IPS officers, and not because they missed the IAS by a few marks.
• A maturing democracy must further devolute powers to districts, cities and towns, strengthening elected representatives and reducing the discretionary powers of bureaucrats. The State government which doesn't want to lose its control over local bodies and IAS will fight tooth and nail to preserve its present powers. It is evident that any desirable administrative reform would not be possible because of the mere existence of the IAS. 

Power is thrilling only when misused especially for corruption. 

Otherwise it is a huge liability and burdensome.

Learning by working is a slow process and prone for errors and mistakes with depth of knowledge restricted. The fastest and easiest way to learn is through is university graduation, post graduation and doctorate courses. Today IAS officers are mostly jack of all trades and master of nothing and yet commands immense power on people & society. Their half knowledge is often disastrous. The minister and his secretary have no expertise and yet direct departments with specialists in performance of its duties. Very often IAS officers assist ministers indulging in corruption subverting rules, of course for a cut. Otherwise ministers have no knowledge of procedures and rules. During past twenty years private sector salaries are so high, some bright IAS officers are leaving govt to join corporates. Yet youth aspires for IAS because of power, perks and corruption money. In order for our country to progress as a nation, administrative reforms are a must; and for reforms IAS is stumbling blockade; hence IAS must be abolished even if it is disruptive. Otherwise we will be progressing rather slowly.