4.13 Permanent Executive: Why Bureaucracy?

Who actually implements the decisions of ministers? When the government promises to build a hospital, deliver food rations or organise the census, who follows through long after the press conference is over? The answer is the bureaucracy^? — a large organisation of trained officials, also called the civil service to distinguish it from the military. The Executive organ of government therefore includes three layers: the Prime Minister, the ministers, and this large bureaucracy.

Trained and skilled officers work as permanent employees of the government and are entrusted with two tasks: assisting ministers in formulating policies, and implementing those policies on the ground. The political executive comes and goes with elections; the permanent executive stays on, providing continuity and institutional memory.

4.14 Bureaucracy in a Democracy — Three Tensions

In a democracy, elected representatives and ministers are in charge of government; administration is under their control and supervision. In a parliamentary system the legislature also exercises control over administration. The result is a layered chain of responsibility:

Three constitutional norms shape this chain. First, administrative officers cannot act in violation of policies adopted by the legislature. Second, ministers retain political control over the administration. Third — and this is the most distinctive feature of the Indian model — the bureaucracy is expected to be politically neutral. Civil servants do not take political positions on policy matters. When a party loses an election and a new government decides to reverse policies, the same civil service must faithfully and efficiently help draft and implement the new policy.

4.15 The UPSC and the Constitution’s Recruitment Design

The Constitution makers were keenly aware of the importance of a non-partisan and professional bureaucracy. They wanted civil servants to be selected impartially, on the basis of merit. The Constitution therefore creates the Union Public Service Commission^? (UPSC) to conduct the recruitment of civil servants for the Government of India. Similar Public Service Commissions are provided for the States.

To shield the recruitment body from political pressure:

• Members of the Public Service Commissions are appointed for a fixed term.
• Their removal or suspension is subject to a thorough enquiry made by a judge of the Supreme Court.

4.15.1 Merit Plus Representation

Merit alone is not enough in a deeply unequal society. The Constitution therefore ensures that all sections of society — including the weaker sections — have an opportunity to be part of the public bureaucracy. Reservation in jobs has been provided for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; subsequent reforms have added reservations for women, Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). The aim is twofold: a more representative bureaucracy, and a guarantee that social inequalities will not block the path of qualified candidates.

4.16 Architecture of the Indian Bureaucracy

The Indian bureaucracy today is an enormously complex system. It consists of:

• All-India Services — recruited and trained centrally, but allotted to particular States;
• Central Services — staffing Union government offices in Delhi or elsewhere;
• State Services — recruited and posted within a single State;
• Employees of local governments (panchayats, municipalities);
• Technical and managerial staff running public sector undertakings.

4.16.1 The All India Services — IAS, IPS, IFS

Persons selected by the UPSC for the Indian Administrative Service^? (IAS) and the Indian Police Service^? (IPS) form the backbone of higher-level bureaucracy in the States. The Indian Forest Service^? (IFS) is the third all-India service. Note the distinct paths:

• The collector of a district — the most important officer at the district level — is normally an IAS officer.
• The collector is governed by service conditions laid down by the central government.
• An IAS or IPS officer is assigned to a particular State, where he or she works under the supervision of the State government.
• However, IAS/IPS officers are appointed by the central government; they can return to central service; and only the central government can take disciplinary action against them.

This means the key administrative officers of the States are under the supervision and control of the central government. Apart from the IAS and IPS, the administration of a State is also looked after by officers appointed through the State Public Service Commissions. As the chapter on federalism shows, this layered design strengthens the Union’s control over State administration.

4.17 Issues with Bureaucracy

The bureaucracy is the instrument through which the welfare policies of government must reach the people. But often it is so powerful that ordinary people are afraid of approaching a government officer. Citizens routinely complain that the bureaucracy is insensitive to their demands and expectations. Three structural problems deserve attention.

Only when the democratically elected government effectively controls the bureaucracy can these problems be tackled. But too much political interference turns the bureaucracy into an instrument in the hands of politicians. Although the Constitution has created independent machinery for recruitment, many feel there are no real protections for civil servants from political interference in the performance of their duties, and not enough provisions to ensure accountability of the bureaucracy to the citizen.

4.18 Conclusion — The Modern Executive

The modern executive is a very powerful institution of government. It enjoys greater powers compared to the other organs of government — legislature and judiciary. This concentration of power is precisely what generates the need for democratic control over the executive. The makers of our Constitution thought, with foresight, that the executive must be put firmly under regular supervision and control. Thus, a parliamentary executive was chosen. Periodic elections, constitutional limits on the exercise of powers, and an active democratic politics together have ensured that the executive organ cannot become unresponsive.

4.19 NCERT Exercises — Full Model Answers

4.20 Key Terms