Subject: Governance

The debate over whether India's cadre-based civil services have impeded growth presents a complex narrative intertwined with the nation's developmental journey since independence. The civil services, often called the steel frame of India, have both contributed to and sometimes constrained India's socio-economic progress.

Reasons Why Cadre-Based System May Slow Growth

• Rigid Hierarchical Structure: The strict hierarchical nature leads to delayed decision-making and reduced administrative efficiency in policy implementation.

• Generalist Approach: IAS officers often handle specialized domains without relevant expertise, potentially affecting the quality of technical decision-making.

• Limited Lateral Entry: Restricted entry of domain experts from private sector reduces innovation and modern management practices in governance.

• Risk-Averse Culture: The emphasis on procedure over outcomes creates a culture of risk aversion, hampering quick decision-making and innovation.

Counter Arguments Supporting Civil Services' Role

• Policy Continuity: The permanent bureaucracy ensures consistency in policy implementation across political transitions.

• National Integration: The All India Services promote national unity by facilitating administrative integration across diverse states.

• Crisis Management: Demonstrated exceptional capability during emergencies like COVID-19 pandemic management and natural disasters.

• Constitutional Vision: Upholds constitutional values and safeguards against arbitrary political interference.

Way Forward for Reform

• Mission Karmayogi: Implementation of the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building to enhance competency-based training.

• Lateral Entry: Expanding the scope of lateral entry to bring specialized expertise at middle and senior management levels.

• Performance Metrics: Introduction of objective performance evaluation systems linked to outcomes rather than processes.

• Specialization Tracks: Creating specialized domains within services for better expertise utilization.

The cadre-based civil services, while presenting certain structural challenges, have been instrumental in maintaining administrative stability and implementing development programs. The need is not to dismantle but to reform the system through initiatives like Mission Karmayogi and Lateral Entry Scheme, making it more adaptive and performance-oriented for 21st-century governance challenges.