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Tuesday, June 30, 2020
upsc essay
Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services mains exam is the Essay. Here, prelims-qualified IAS aspirants have to write two essays out of a few given topics. The paper is for a total of 250 marks and its marks are taken into consideration for the Final Merit List. In this article, we have listed all the essay topics asked in the UPSC mains exam from 1994 to 2018. We have also classified the last 25 years essay questions into topics to make your preparation easier.
Administration
Politics, bureaucracy and business – fatal triangle. (1994)
Politics without ethics is a disaster. (1995)
The VIP cult is a bane of Indian democracy. (1996)
Need for transparency in public administration. (1996)
The country’s need for a better disaster management system. (2000)
How should a civil servant conduct himself? (2003)
Democracy/India since independence
Whither Indian democracy? (1995)
What we have not learnt during fifty years of independence. (1997)
Why should we be proud of being Indians? (2000)
What have we gained from our democratic set-up? (2001)
How far has democracy in India delivered the goods? (2003)
National identity and patriotism. (2008)
In the context of Gandhiji’s views on the matter, explore, on an evolutionary scale, the terms ‘Swadhinata’, ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Dharmarajya’. Critically comment on their contemporary relevance to Indian democracy. (2012)
Is the colonial mentality hindering India’s success? (2013)
Dreams which should not let India sleep. (2015)
Management of Indian border disputes – a complex task. (2018)
Economic growth and development
Resource management in the Indian context. (1999)
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the wellbeing of a country. (2013)
Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country? (2014)
Crisis faced in India – moral or economic. (2015)
Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms. (2016)
Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality. (2016)
Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare. (2016)
Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India. (2017)
Federalism, Decentralisation
The language problem in India: its past, present and prospects. (1998)
Water resources should be under the control of the central government. (2004)
Evaluation of panchayati raj system in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people. (2007)
Is autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization? (2007)
Creation of smaller states and the consequent administrative, economic and developmental implication. (2011)
Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality. (2016)
Water disputes between States in federal India. (2016)
Indian Culture & Society
The Indian society at the crossroads. (1994)
New cults and godmen: a threat to traditional religion. (1996)
The composite culture of India. (1998)
Youth culture today. (1999)
Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. (2000)
Indian culture today: a myth or a reality? (2000)
As civilization advances culture declines. (2003)
From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model-a natural progression or a paradigm shift? (2010)
Judiciary
Judicial activism. (1997)
Judicial activism and Indian democracy. (2004)
Justice must reach the poor. (2005)
Social justice/Poverty
Reservation, politics and empowerment. (1999)
Food security for sustainable national development. (2005)
The focus of health care is increasingly getting skewed towards the ‘haves’ of our society. (2009)
Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for the majority of farmers in India. (2017)
Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. (2018)
Media & Society
Misinterpretation and misuse of freedom in India. (1998)
Mass media and cultural invasion. (1999)
Responsibility of media in a democracy. (2002)
How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets? (2007)
Role of media in good governance. (2008)
Does Indian cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it? (2011)
Is sting operation an invasion on privacy? (2014)
Environment/Urbanisation
Urbanization is a blessing in disguise. (1997)
Protection of ecology and environment is essential for sustained economic development. (2006)
Urbanisation and its hazards. (2008)
Should a moratorium be imposed on all fresh mining in tribal areas of the country? (2010)
We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws. (2017)
Economic sectors/MNCs
Multinational corporations – saviours or saboteurs. (1994)
Globalization would finish small-scale industries in India. (2006)
BPO boom in India. (2007)
Special economic zone: boon or bane? (2008)
Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death? (2009)
Is the criticism that the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model for development is more of a bane than a boon in the Indian context, justified? (2012)
Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India? (2014)
Education
Restructuring of Indian education system. (1995)
Literacy is growing very fast, but there is no corresponding growth in education. (1996)
Irrelevance of the classroom. (2001)
Privatization of higher education in India. (2002)
Modern technological education and human values. (2002)
What is real education? (2005)
“Education for all” campaign in India: myth or reality. (2006)
Independent thinking should be encouraged right from the childhood. (2007)
Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses? (2008)
Credit – based higher education system – status, opportunities and challenges. (2011)
Is the growing level of competition good for the youth? (2014)
Are the standardized tests good measure of academic ability or progress? (2014)
Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil. (2015)
Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms. (2017)
Women
The new emerging women power: the ground realities. (1995)
Greater political power alone will not improve women’s plight. (1997)
Woman is god’s best creation. (1998)
Women empowerment: challenges and prospects. (1999)
Empowerment alone cannot help our women. (2001)
Whither women’s emancipation? (2004)
If women ruled the world. (2005)
The hand that rocks the cradle. (2005)
Women’s reservation bill would usher in empowerment for women in India. (2006)
Managing work and home – is the Indian working woman getting a fair deal? (2012)
If development is not engendered, it is endangered. (2016)
Fulfillment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth. (2017)
Quotes-based/Philosophy
Youth is a blunder, manhood a struggle, old age a regret. (1994)
Useless life is an early death. (1994)
Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the lifeblood of civilisation. (1995)
When money speaks, the truth is silent. (1995)
Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds. (1995)
Truth is lived, not taught. (1996)
True religion cannot be misused. (1997)
Search for truth can only be a spiritual problem. (2002)
The paths of glory lead but to the grave. (2002)
If youth knew, if age could. (2002)
There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. (2003)
Be the change you want to see in others. (2013)
With greater power comes greater responsibility. (2014)
Words are sharper than the two-edged sword. (2014)
Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole. (2015)
“The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values. (2018)
Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it. (2018)
Character
Attitude makes habit, habit makes character and character makes a man. (2007)
Discipline means success, anarchy means ruin. (2008)
Character of an institution is reflected in its leader. (2015)
Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed. (2016)
Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. (2017)
A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. (2018)
A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both. (2018)
Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life. (2018)
Globalisation
Modernisation and westernisation are not identical concepts. (1994)
The world of the twenty-first century. (1998)
The implications of globalization for India. (2000)
My vision of an ideal world order. (2001)
The masks of new imperialism. (2003)
Globalizations and its impact on Indian culture. (2004)
‘Globalization’ vs. ‘nationalism’. (2009)
Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role. (2010)
Science & Tech
The modern doctor and his patients. (1997)
Value-based science and education. (1999)
The march of science and the erosion of human values. (2001)
Spirituality and scientific temper. (2003)
The lure of space. (2004)
Science and Mysticism: Are they compatible? (2012)
Science and technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation. (2013)
Technology cannot replace manpower. (2015)
Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India. (2018)
Internet/IT
The cyberworld: its charms and challenges. (2000)
Increasing computerization would lead to the creation of a dehumanized society. (2006)
Cyberspace and Internet: Blessing or curse to the human civilization in the long run. (2016)
Social media is inherently a selfish medium. (2017)
International organisations/relations
Restructuring of UNO reflect present realities. (1996)
India’s role in promoting ASEAN cooperation. (2004)
Importance of Indo-US nuclear agreement. (2006)
Has the Non- Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world. (2017)
Security
Terrorism and world peace. (2005)
Are we a ‘soft’ state? (2009)
Good fences make good neighbours. (2009)
In the Indian context, both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism. (2011)
Miscellaneous
India’s contribution to world wisdom. (1998)
The pursuit of excellence. (2001)
Geography may remain the same; history need not. (2010)
Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India? (2014)
The great Roman civilisation which has experienced Gloden years had disappeared. The biggest and the largest manufacturing hub of the world - “DELTORID CITY”, now it is termed as “DESERTED MANUFACTURING HUB OF THE WORLD”.
Even in India, from the collapse of the great Mughal empire to the persistence of poverty and breeding of corruption (According to the world bank report Still 21.9 percent of the total population lives in poverty and India is known as home of 2nd most poor population of the world, and according to the transparency international’s corruption Index, India’s position is 81st place respectively) even after 71 years of independence.
The reason for the above mentioned circumstances and situations is THE FATAL TRIANGLE .i.e. Politics, Bureaucracy and Business.
Before becoming this triangle into Fatal triangle, one has to know, “How this triangle (General relationship) converted to VICIOUS TRIANGLE?” And “WHAT MAKES VICIOUS TRIANGLE AS FATAL TRIANGLE?”
Now let us discuss about these questions in detail one by one.
According to Aristotle, there are two governments, one is known as legitimate government and another is known as perversive government. The difference between them is Legitimate government works for the public and Perversive government for their vested interest.
When the country is ruled by the Perversive Government then the values such as intergity, honesty, commitment, etc will be unfollowed by the leaders of the country in governing the country.
When the leaders of the country upholds narcissism, either they will influence/inspires the government servant or put pressure on the government servant, to be loyal to their masters instead of being loyal to their office or to the public. Thus, it will break down code of ethics and code of conduct of the public office.
These type of political structure and administrative structure (bureaucracy) act as breeding ground for the laissurefaire capitalism, where businessmen will turn as predictors because they will be given free hand to administrate market activities. Thus, this General triangle converts to VICIOUS TRIANGLE.
Now, we will see what makes this VICIOUS TRIANGLE to turn into FATAL triangle.
Impact of vicious triangle on the society which turns fatal to society:
Corruption through bribes will increase, which will increase nepotism in allocation of projects. This will fetch huge excheloss to the government. Example: Recently the biggest scams unearth are 2G spectrum scam, and Coal scam in India, which are classic example of nepotism and bribes. Thus, this vicious triangle will become FATAL to the credible investors.
This vicious triangle relationship will create environment to the capitalist to influence the government policy making. Thus, the government policies will be failed to inculcate humanistic values in it. This will result in breakdown of welfare concept and concept of sustainability. Thus, this vicious triangle will become FATAL to the welfarism and environment . Example: in many parts of the world such as Congo, Amazon, and S-E Asian forests have been clearing for the minerals and plantation crops. These have been affecting indegenious people and the environment ( Amazon is known as lungs of the earth)
In this vicious triangle society, the government will not be able to control process in the market. Thus, the prices of the basic needs such as Education, shelter and Health will be exorbitantly high. Thus, it become FATAL to the aspirations of poor population of the country. Example: commercialisation of education and health sector In India, which is the reason for higher drop rates in higher education (28 percent among boys and 32 percent among girls).
The high rate of corruption and nepotism will make accessibility of the government service difficult. Thus, poor will become poorer and rich will become richer. This will increase inequality, which WILL LEAD TO FATAL CONSEQUENCES such as hate, crime and revolts in the society. Example: in India in 1980’s, top 1 percent of the total population owned only 6 percent of the total country’s wealth, now they own 58 percent of the total country’s wealth.
This vicious relationship will breeds forces like Naxalism, Extremism, etc,. Thus, the nexus among these three will bring threat to the internal security also. Thus, it will be FATAL TO Th security of the country.
Thus, from the above it is clear that HOW VICIOUS TRAINGLE WILL TURN TO FATAL TRIANGLE .
However, not always the relationship among the bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen leads to fatal to society or fatal triangle.
If the politics upholds public interest, then bureaucracy will be forced to uphold public interest. This will make business to follow professional ethics. Example: though India inclined towards capitalism, it has never neglects welfare sate objectives. India has allowed private investment but haven’t allowed to exploit labour’s through its strict labour laws.
The government of India by realising, observing and analysing, the impact of vicious triangle. It has taken initiatives to avert the relationship among these three becoming as vicious. There are e-governance, social audit law, and decentralisation (73rd and 74th consititution amendmen). Like this, the government trying to bring accountability and responsibility in the administrative process.\
Politics without Ethics is a Disaster – Essay Preparation
Aristotle described human beings as rational animal. We apply reason and logic to every aspect of our lives. The rationality that we have been gifted with is involuntarily guided by or virtues and morals. These guides are what that forms the basis of ethics. These ethics that drive our conscience and our actions are absolute entities. As Albert Einstein had quoted,
“Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.”
There is not more than one perspective of defining the morals and principles that humans possess by default. Scientifically, Charles Darwin in his book ‘The Descent of Man’ has explored the concept of origin of human morality.
He explained that how a refined moral sense, or conscience, could have developed through a natural evolutionary process that began with social instincts rooted in our nature as social animals. This idea was widely accepted amongst famous sociologists of that era who further implemented the ideas in a school of sociology named Social Darwinism.
As early humans, our species was prone to many dangers of the world. The sole aim that bound us together was the instinct of survival. Our ethics made us altruistic towards our fellow humans as well as living beings who were our allies in our survival. Our frail bodies housed brilliant minds and we used it to climb on top of the food chain and cement our status as the most advanced known species on the planet.
But the hunger for power did not end there. Herbert Spencer, a leading sociologist who had firm belief in Social Darwinism, gave the phrase- ‘survival of the fittest.’ This aptly describes the humans that we have evolved into in the 21st century. To become the ruler of the society that we have inherited and are a part of, the competition has increased.
More plans and conspiracies have developed over the centuries to gain power or overthrow the ones in power, making it an eternal vicious cycle that has crept into our society.
The ethics that showed us the direction remain the same, but are corrupted by the desire to be on the top and make the world dance on our tune. And what better way can we achieve this feat other than becoming a politician.
Politics has become an integral part of our lives. With the majority of the nation’s turning into a democracy, the number of politicians has increased to a large extent, along with their influence in our daily lives. Political debates and discussions are a household activity today.
The scene in the world’s largest democracy is quite the same. But if one had to delve deeper into the scenario, they will realise that these declamations are merely complaints against the way the government had befooled the citizens into gaining power.
This is a confirmation of the ethics-less politics that exists in the nations across the world. And time and again, it has proven to spell a disaster upon the economic and social welfare of a country and has hampered its development.
Are you preparing for IAS Exam? Check out the UPSC 2020 linked article.
Unethical Politics in the Global Scenario
Benjamin Franklin, an accomplished statesman from America had once stated that even the smallest leak can sink a ship. This statement holds the emphasis on the critical aspect of the calibre of ethics in politics. There is an abundance of examples in the history of the world that resulted in political disasters with diabolical repercussions just because ethics were neglected during the policy making.
Starting with the French Revolution of 1879, which was brought into action to restore stability to the peasants and middle-class French populace, but the results were anti-climactic with the peasants turning on the nobles and assaulted them as the reign of terror persisted in the country.
Contemporary to the French revolution was the industrial revolution. The market demands increased as the merchants became short-handed of raw materials to process. Additionally the pressure of opening new market opportunities made the European politicians make decisions that led to large scale wars across Africa, Asia and South America.
This led to the loss of countless lives as well as destruction of peaceful biospheres. Further aggravating the conditions in Africa, the unethical policies the European politicians and bureaucrats drafted to suit their own wishes, fragmented Africa into uneven states with utter disregard to the cultures and ethnicities of the inhabitants. This served as the foundation of the civil wars that mar the history of African nations.
The 20th century saw the rise in demands of fossil fuel to generate energy for the functioning of industries that had been set up over the last century. Now the world was plagued with the politics that were involved, especially the middle-east and gulf countries.
The 1970’s were infamous for the Vietnam War while the 1990’s saw the gulf war in which the United States had active participation. While on the face value, these wars were fought on the pretext of fighting communism and dictatorship and restoring democracy, the actual intentions had always been to maintain monopoly over the resources that these countries provided.
Be it the Afghan invasion, the Iraq invasion or annexation of Crimea, narrow political interests of the stronger nations have caused massive loss of life and property.
Ethics have further been overlooked within nations themselves. Political leaders and governments have often used immoral methods as tools of power grabbing and establishing their dominance in the country. The military misadventures of Pakistan are a prime example of politicians throwing ethical standards into the drain. Entire generations have been also wiped out in the African nations.
Rwanda genocide in 1993 and the civil wars in Somalia and Sudan which were initiated to suit the interests of the respective national leaders has been a subject to condemnation by many nations. The lack of moral practices that exist in the policy-making bodies of the countries have been acknowledged.
The limited spectrum of political interests has not just given rise to wars and genocides. There are other forms of tragedies that have occurred due to politicians of the concerned government paying no heed to their moral principles. The recent refugee crises that have hit the world are spreading havoc amongst many countries.
The European nations have seen large scale influx of immigrants from Syria and other Islamic states that had been ravaged by instable governments as well as terror outfits. On the similar lines, Southeast Asia is suffering from the outbreak of the Rohingya crisis that was solely caused by the bad governance in Myanmar.
Millions of villagers were displaced, separated and even murdered, with their houses being burnt to ashes. Such inhumane practices devoid of ethics have not only brought shame upon the countries, but have also created problems for the neighbouring countries. The failure of politicians to incorporate ethical values in their decision has spelt nothing but trouble around the globe.
Ethics and Politics in India
With the multitude of corruption scandals and scams that have hit both the central as well as the state governments, the situation in our nation is no different than around the world. In fact, we have viewed upon it with much more scrutiny.
Being a country which serves as the residence of a wide range of religions, ethnicities, cultures, languages and social statuses, the perspective of politics is a tad bit different as compared to other nations. But the basic ideology of shunning ethics to gain power remains the same.
Following the lines of the British rulers, the politicians have now taken up the game of divide and rule to remain in power. The division is on the basis of caste, religion, language and culture instigating mob mentality against another community, giving rise to hatred amongst them.
The 1984 Sikh riots, the demolishing of Babri Masjid in 1992, the 2002 Godhra riots, all had led to internal instability and incurred loss of innocent lives. There has been no doubt that the political leaders, incumbent as well as the non-incumbent, had equal roles to play in all these mishaps.
While they are not conducting riots, the unethical politicians keep themselves busy with the corruption charges that are being constantly filed against them. Money is an important factor which decides the extent of power of a political faction.
Furthermore, this money is not used for the welfare of the general population. It is rather used to satisfy their vile desires. 2G, Coalgate, CWG, Vyapam, Sardha, etc. the list runs long. It is safe to say that there is no dearth of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats in our parliament as well as government administrative services.
Even though they have been openly accused of such scams, they roam free, acting as if they are above the law, which on paper might be untrue, but in reality, it is undeniable.
There has been little to no mention of ethics in political discourses. While the concept of morality is debased, the politicians sure did deploy moral police to keep in check immoral practices. For instance, Uttar Pradesh’s crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses is not because the killings there were unsanitary and inhumane, but the mere tag of ‘illegal’ which is a glorified term of ‘unlicensed’, was used to describe them.
This sort of attitude towards policy-making will not yield good policies, but only policies favouring the good of the politicians. Nehru and Ambedkar’s vision of politics of ethics has failed to be fruitful as the current generation prioritises the well-being of themselves before the people they are meant to represent.
Impact of unethical politics
In a broad sense, not maintaining ethical standards in politics affects four main facets of a society or a nation in general- Intellect, morality, sociology and economy. The intellectual damage has been evident with the fact that there are so many politicians ‘ruling’ their constituencies who are uneducated, while the educated brass caters to their services.
These MPs and MLAs use their political leverage in the fields of arts, literature, science and sports to promote individuals of their choice instead of identifying real talent and showcasing them to the nation. This has often resulted in underperformance of the state in major events which can cause massive embarrassment to the nation as a whole.
Hence, many hard-working individual seek recognition of their toil and go abroad in search of opportunities. This phenomenon is famously known as ‘brain-drain’, and it is affecting our countries growth and economy adversely.
The prime evidence to this is the fact that we rarely have come across a Nobel laureate of Indian nationality. The maximum ones are Indian origin scientists and academicians who are settled abroad and have taken up other nationalities.
Follow up to this is the moral degeneration that has resulted due to unethical politics. The immoral policies have set a bad example in front of the public. Our nation has a rich heritage in humility and fraternity. One thing we Indians can be rightly proud of is being humane.
Although we have been calling ourselves secular, the politicians seem to have forgotten to read the preamble. There is no stopping them from playing the communal card to generate a vote bank for themselves while destroy that of the opposing party.
Not just religion, but caste and social status are also dragged into their dirty game just so that they can win a few more seats in the parliament or legislation. But the expense of that is planting seeds of resentment in the minds of the community.
This cascading effect has surely left the citizens manipulated and the society devoid of morals. As mentioned earlier, the corrupt politicians setting bad examples and getting away with it, has unfortunately inspired many people to become unruly citizens of our country.
Extortions, kidnapping, crime against women, corruption… there is no end to the heinous crimes that the people in the society indulge in. Social scientists have established that there is a definite connection between corruptions in high places a euphemism for corruption among the politicians-and the breakdown of law and order countrywide.
The sociological effect is felt from across small families to large political organisations. Religion is another social organisation that has been affected by the activities of unethical politics. It has been used as a tool to promote their personal propagandas.
Many god-men have come up in the past few decades claiming to be holy preachers of their religion, but all they are doing is milking money from the simple citizens. And finally we have the economic turbulence which the immoral practice has brought with it.
The government had not maintained transparency and had constantly used the tax that common people pay to pay for their own comforts. The resulting deficiency in the standard of products and quality of living in a common man’s life is undeniably visible, and along with that, the scams and scandals come as complementary parcel.
The irresponsibility shown by the corrupt politicians, by aligning themselves with anti-national elements, is hastening the approach of a catastrophe in Indian economy.
Conclusion
Politicians are at the helm of the ship that our nation is. It is upon them to steer our country into the tempest or away from it. They wield a vast amount of power which if used ethically can help a common man benefit and the country grow into a developed nation.
They should stop neglecting the needs of their people and become a lot more altruistic. The politicians in their defence may say that the fight for staying in power is a difficult one and they have to use such tactics to get an upper hand on their opponents, but the sad truth is something else.
They are ready to drop as low as they can to keep filling their bank accounts in Switzerland from the hard earned money of an average Indian person. Wherever the word politics appears, ethics start to fade away.
Even though there exist several bodies that are tasked with keeping a vigilant eye to keep the unethical activities in check, the not so virtuous ideas have crept deep inside the souls of our politicians and condensed with it.
It is a difficult task to eradicate such an evil existence since it is a result of the choices that the politicians take and live with.
We as responsible citizens can only use the best of our knowledge to bring into power the least corrupt and the most responsible leader that our collective intellect can decide upon and prevent actual narrow-minded selfish politicians from being in power and prevent unethical politics. At present we have very limited options, but we can always hope for a better future.
The laal batti culture, frowned upon by the Supreme Court, highlights the need for urgent administrative and attitudinal change. Photo: R. Ragu
The political executive and the permanent executive should realise they are public servants first and work in harmony to achieve the constitutional objectives
There is a need to arrest the ‘ laal batti’ [red beacon] culture in public governance. The Supreme Court of India has been delivering a variety of judgments on matters of public governance, and these have been the subject of debate and discussion. Some of these related to the role of criminals in legislatures, the option to exercise the voting right to reject all contesting candidates by what is known as the “none of the above” option (NOTA), insisting on a fixed tenure for top civil servants’ postings, effecting the transfer of senior civil servants through a Civil Services Board, and civil servants necessarily obtaining written orders from their political masters before implementation. The latest judgment on the use of the red beacon has become a bone of contention. It is indeed timely, significant and relevant as it attacks the feudal mindset of our public servants.
A view has often been expressed that such intervention by the Supreme Court to improve the quality of public governance and democracy would amount to judicial overreach, not warranted by the spirit of the constitutional provisions. In line with this critical view, Pinky Anand, a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court, wrote in The Hindu (“ >Keeping politicians at bay”, Nov. 26, 2013) raising some issues on the role of the bureaucracy and politicians, and the maintainability of the petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution on the relationship between politicians and civil servants. The author stated: “The Supreme Court has assumed itself to be superior to Parliament and is directing Parliament to enact new laws, which seems to be violating the fundamental principle of Separation of Powers.”
But nowhere did the judgment suggest or imply such a view. Para 29 recognises Parliament’s authority to bring in legislation to set up a Civil Services Board. A reference is made to the statement by the Union government’s counsel to the effect that a draft Bill titled “Civil Services Performance Standards And Accountability Bill, 2010” was under the government’s consideration. In several cases, including Vineet Narain (1998) and Prakash Singh (2006), the Supreme Court had recommended legislation to fill the vacuum, and issued directions as an interim measure.
The Supreme Court invoked this approach in the landmark judgment in Vishaka vs. State of Rajasthan (1997), setting out guidelines to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination at the workplace. Although one may not differ with Ms. Anand in arguing that the vacuum in governance prompted the judiciary to step in, the reluctance, indifference and insensitivity on the part of governments cannot be overlooked. The main reason for such an attitude seems to be the fear of erosion of political authority in governance.
A case in point is the lackadaisical approach to the subject of electoral reforms. Although some electoral reforms were recommended by the Election Commission of India, the Law Commission and civil society organisations, ruling parties have justified their inaction on the ground that there was no political consensus. It is amazing that while many pieces of legislation are being enacted with the necessary majority, election reforms and such other governance reforms are not getting through owing to lack of political consensus. This is but lack of political will, and is based on selfish reasons of survival.
Ms. Anand questioned the competence and expertise of the petitioners in asking the “judiciary to overreach into the domain of the executive”. The petitioners made no such request. Their expertise cannot be doubted, considering that collectively they had 2,500 man-years of hands-on experience in public administration. All that they sought was action on the reports of government-appointed commissions and committees, including the Administrative Reforms Commission which was headed by political personalities.
The court’s direction on the subject of the tenure of officers is criticised as an act of “taking away the privilege of Ministers to work with the best officers of their choosing”. But the author overlooks the fact that the judgment explicitly recognises the right of the political leadership to overrule the recommendations of the Civil Services Board by stating that in such a case the reasons had to be recorded by the political masters. The judgment does not in any way impinge upon the domain of the political executive.
An obnoxious nexus
Supreme Court judgments on such matters relating to public administration should not be seen as an issue between the political class and the permanent executive. On the other hand, it has to be seen as an attempt to promote good governance and quality democracy in order to achieve the rule of law and equality of opportunities. Unfortunately, in India there is an obnoxious nexus between some members of both the political class and the bureaucracy, which has, over time, gradually resulted in deterioration of public governance.
This process seems to have started soon after Independence. Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister, said in 1950: “Certain tendencies and developments in our administration and public affairs fill me with some disquiet and sadness of heart. Our public life seems to be degenerating. We talk when the paramount need is that of action. With all the sincerity and earnestness at my command I appeal to all my countrymen to reflect on what they see in and around themselves.”
This aspect was highlighted in detail by the Shah Commission report which inquired into irregularities in administration during the Emergency (1975-77). The feudal culture of public servants (and politicians in office) seems to be the bane of our public administration. And it is spreading, resulting in lack of sensitivity, efficiency and accountability in public service.
It is therefore necessary that the political executive and the permanent executive realise they are public servants first, and that it is their duty to work in harmony to achieve the constitutional objectives. Let it be clearly understood that public governance in a democracy is not the private business of any one section. It is the collective responsibility of the government as a whole.
Today, the conditions and circumstances of public administration are different from what they were some time ago. A vigilant civil society, ever-watchful media and the Right to Information Act require that politicians and the bureaucracy are held accountable and their actions remain transparent. They will frequently seek intervention by the judiciary to protect the fundamental rights under a good and effective public governance.
Caveat against power hunger
In 1947, India was an infant aspiring to grow in the comity of nations. The freedom fighters undertook another task of drafting the Constitution based on other countries’ experiences.
One of the issues highlighted in the discussions at the drafting stage was the anxiety to avoid concentration of power in a few individuals as naked greed for power will destroy democratic principles. However, what has actually happened in India in the last few decades is shocking and demoralising. The best political and governance practices have been distorted and twisted by those in power.
We have to realise that there is an urgent need to change the country’s administrative culture if we have to survive as a nation. We need to get away from the leisure culture where public holidays and delays contribute to deficiencies in the delivery of public services. We need to get away from the feudal culture of politicians and civil servants, who adopt a domineering attitude while dealing with the common man. We need to get away from the hostile attitude between the politicians and civil servants vying with each other in exercise of their power.
What we need is not keeping at bay either the politician or the civil servant; what we need is a clear demarcation of their respective roles in rendering public service. The laal batti culture, frowned upon by the Supreme Court, highlights the need for urgent administrative and attitudinal change.
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