Public Administration Mains 2018 : Model Question and Answer - 100
(Public Administration Paper II / Chapter: Civil Services in India)
(Current Based) Question: The IAS officer’s loyalty is with the people, constitution and the nation. Comment. (15 Marks/200 Words)
Model Answer:
The architecture of governance in India is based on a political executive that is elected by the people of the country and a permanent civil service that is expected to serve the duly elected government.
There is no doubt that an IAS officer’s loyalty has to be to the people, the Constitution and the nation and under no circumstances, the political party in power.
IAS officers are expected to be loyal to the government called upon to serve but to the extent that its actions and policies are in conformity with the Constitution and in favour of public good. In other words, there is no question of IAS officers placing their loyalty to the political party in power above those to the nation or the Constitution.
IAS officers in view of their training and experience gained in the functioning of government processes do provide inputs to policy making. But the ultimate responsibility for the nature and shape of policy is that of the Minister and the political executive. They can overrule, amend, modify or approve the proposals. IAS officers can at best reiterate the implications of ‘bad policy’, advise and try to convince, but cannot question the final decision. (Total Words- 200)
Valuable inputs from The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy : ‘The IAS officers’ loyalty has to be to the people, the Constitution and the nation: K. Sujatha Rao' by Smita Gupta
(Linkages: IAS and Constitution of India, IAS and People, IAS and Political Party)