(Sample Material) Gist of Important Articles from IIPA Journal

Topic: Public Services in India: Achievements and Disappointments U.C. Agarwal

INITIAL YEARS

To meet the huge requirement of technical manpower and professionals for the large number and size of public services, special attention was required and given by establishing many new colleges and training institutions in all fields including medical, engineering’, agricultural, basic sciences and technologies, etc. Many high level scientific and research institutions, as also IITs, IIMs, etc. were established, The foresight and dynamism shown by the Indian planners and senior administrative officers in the 50s and 60s for human resource development paid rich dividends in later years. The country could meet not only its own requirements of trained manpower but also enabled it to assist other friendly foreign countries who requested for the services of out experts, As the then Chairman of the Foreign Assignment Selection Committee (1973-78) the author had occasions to visit a number of foreign countries (like Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan etc,) where technical experts from our public services were working on deputation basis. It was quite pleasing to hear from the Director General of Health Services of Iran that they found the medical skill and performance of more than 2,500 Indian doctors working there to be of very high order and they enjoyed great confidence and respect of the people of Iran.

Similarly large number of Indian public servants serving on deputation basis in various UN bodies like the UNDP, ILO, WHO, FAO, World Bank and IMF etc. had earned good name and reputation for themselves and the country for their professional excellence and performance, As Establishment Officer (EO) to the Government of India the author had visited some of the UN bodies in (1974-75) and was gratified to know from senior UN officials that some of our officers on deputation were the backbone: of the UN organisations they were serving. In fact they wanted to retain them beyond their normal deputation periods not exceeding five years.The performance and achievements of the public servants in the home front during the first three decades of Independence can also be rated to be of very high order. Immediately after partition the country faced the great human task; of rehabilitating millions of penniless displaced persons from Pakistan. Partition ‘also caused large scale communal riots and, killings. This had given rise to serious problem of maintaining peace. The public services of the Central and State governments as also the All-India Services rose to the occasion and proved their worth ‘in restoring normalcy in the country very speedily. The 500 plus Indian native states too were merged into the Indian Union in less than two years a thanks to the strong political leadership of Sardar Patel the then Home Minister of India and the dynamism and drive shown by the senior public servants: of that time. The private property add privy purses claims of this large number of Rajas and Maharajas {more than 500) were settled within months by a few senior officers of the Central Government. Their actions were later approved by government without raising any fingers or doubts.

After taking care of the immediate post-partition problems, socio-economic development tasks through ‘Five Year Plans became the main focus of attention of the Public Services. They being the implementation agencies of the Five-Year developmental Plans played crucial roles for their success (specially till the end of the Fifth Five Year Plan 1974-78). Their commendable performance in the Agricultural sector particularly in increasing foodgrain production from around 50 millions tons in 1951 to over 210 million tons by 2003·04 is an excellent story of high achievement. In 1951 with population around 361 millions, India was importing large quantities of foodgrain (nearly one-fifth of its requirement) to feed its people. It was very much dependent on American wheat imports under PL480. With its billion plus population now (i.e., nearly three times more than that in 1951) India is not only able to feed this vast population but is at times in a position to export some surplus foodgrain to other coun6es. Vast number of public servants of the State and the Central agricultural services including research scientists, producers of HYV seeds, agriculture extension officers, and administrators at the Block and District levels displayed their capability, commitment and missionary zeal in bringing about this “Green Revolution” and freeing the country from constant fear of famine and starvation deaths.

Similarly, public servants connected with other allied activities in the food sector like fisheries, animal husbandry, poultry, dairy farming, and horticulture, etc. spared no efforts in raising the levels of production in their respective fields. Presently (according to Finance Ministry’s Economic Survey 2004.05) India with fruit production at 47.5 million tons (in 2003-04) was the world’s second largest producer of fruits and with 90 million tons of vegetable production (in the same year) India ranked as the world’s highest vegetable producer. Milk production too went up from around 17 million tons in 1951-$2 to about 91 millions tons (or over five times) in 2004-05. This is another success story which ushered in the “White Revolution”.

However, due to ever rising population and uncertainties of monsoon rains the vigour and dynamism shown in the Agricultural front in the earlier years need to be repeated to avoid food crisis again. In fact there is need for a second “Green Revolution”.

There were other commendable achievements of the public services in India in the non-agricultural sector also. These would include construction of many huge multi-purpose river dams like Hirakud, Bhakranangal, Nagarjun Sagar, Damodar Valley etc. for irrigation, flood control and power generation. These immensely helped in agricultural and industrial developments. Further all major rivers of the country like Ganga, Yamuna, Brahamputra, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari and Narmada etc. were bridged at several places to facilitate all weather road transportation throughout the country. Several railway lines connecting major cities, ports, mines and industrial areas were doubled and electrified to enhance and speed up movement of goods and passengers traffic. New major ports like Paradeep, Haldia, Kandla and New Bombay (Jawaharlal Nehru ‘port) were built and, some others were widened and deepened to facilitate entry of bigger ships into the harbours. Basic industries of large capacities like, steel making, aluminum, zinc, copper, cement, chemical, and oil refineries, etc. were built in the public sector. Most of these major projects were executed generally within laid down time frames and in a cost effective manner - showing efficiency and sense of economy by the public services.
Thus strong foundations were laid during the first to fifth Five Year Plan periods i.e., from 1951 to 1978, by the public servants of those years to enable India to attain further economic height and strength in subsequent Five Year Plan periods.

THE PERILS OF DECLINE

However later due to various causes arising out of declining political and administrative norms and values-things started deteriorating. The story of disappointments began from around the late 70’s or the end of the fifth Five Year Plan. Levels of honesty and commitment in the public services started going down first slowly and later rapidly. The social and political environment in general had started getting polluted due to excessive greed for money and hunger for power among politicians of all hue and colour.

Corruption, favoritism, nepotism, political pressures began to erode the basic values of honesty, devotion to duty, anonymity and political neutrality of the public servants. Instead of working for the service of the people and good of the country they, barring exceptions, became more interested to cultivate their political masters for personal gains by way of getting good postings and quicker promotions.

The culture and ethos of public services underwent a drastic and damaging change. Many public servants started becoming the willing hand maids of their political masters. Police particularly was seen to be using its law enforcement powers to harass and even to launch false criminal cases against the opponents of their political bosses. Serving the politicians became more visible than serving the people by the public servants. It was indeed a distressing change of outlook and mind among them barring some upright and honest public officials.

Corruption also started spreading like wild fire. Many holding even high political and administrative offices like the Prime Minister, governors, union cabinet ministers, state chief ministers, secretaries to Government, chairmen and MDs of PSUs were accused of indulging in corruption. Bereft of high ideals, moral and ethical values, India practically lost track of the constitutional goals of poverty eradication and socio-economic development. Public servants, being part of thy larger civil society derive their moral and ethical values from the prevailing culture of the society. When the social norms and values took a downward turn civil service personnel could not remain unaffected. Another worrisome development damaging the Indian democracy and its public services was the increasing entry of anti-social criminal elements into politics and seats of power. Their growing presence in top seats of power began to degrade many social, political and administrative institutions and the public services. Politicization and criminalisation in many areas of governmental functioning have by now become great stumbling blocks to restore the quality of public services displayed in the earlier years.

Unfortunately in the last three decades or so, the quality of public services has considerably gone down and at times it appears to be beyond repair. Pleasing the politicians at any cost has become the driving force of many ambitious public servants. The manner of their public interaction on the other hand has become rude and unfriendly. This is more visible at the grassroots or what is known as the cutting edge level where the common man comes directly in contact with the public officials. At such various delivery points of public services; corruption, delay, harassment and rude behaviour towards the aam admihas reached an intolerable level. Hence people by and large view public servants, barring some heart warming exceptions, to be corrupt unhelpful and unresponsive. They have little time to hear their problems let alone resolving them. These so called “civil servants” are regarded to be neither “civil” nor good “servants” in performance 0 their public duties. People in general have poor opinion of both the present day politicians and public servants. They in their opinion only pretend to be performing public duties but in fact are more interested in lining their own pockets. People believe that major portions developmental funds are pocketed by contractors, politicians and public employees. They are perceived to be in unholy alliance to loot and grab public funds. This is causing not only financial loss but is spreading the culture of corruption and malpractices to the larger civil society. There by the moral and ethical values of the society are also going down. There is a saying “Yatba Raja tatha Praja”, or people are as good or bad as their Raja, “Raja” ‘may be taken now to mean the ruling class and “Praja” as the larger civil society. The ruling class has always a greater role in influencing the culture of any society.

One unfortunate aspect of law enforcement in our administrative system which breeds corruption is that unduly large powers have been vested in the lower level functionaries like the patwaris and kanungos with regard to land records, the Police SHO with regard to criminal Jaws, the Junior Engineers of electricity, telephone, municipal bodies, and other host of inspectors like weights and measures, food adulteration, sales tax and factory inspector etc. etc., to enforce laws relating to their respective areas of work. They are the grassroots level public servants with powers to set the laws in motion against any person. There are often complaints that many a time people are falsely accused of violation of laws by these petty officials only to extract illegal money. They have started to treat their jobs as licences, to make money by abusing powers. Sadly there is little effective supervision to curb .their well-known and open malpractices. Instead politicians make use of them for their own political ends and in return give them protection against any departmental action.

Of the several ills that have been afflicting the public services since long, widespread corruption is the most serious. According to the Transparency International’s 2004 Corruption Prevention Index (CPI) India scored only 2.8 out of 10 on corruption prevention. In simple terms India is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The spread of corruption is so much that no paper moves in most government offices unless constantly chased from office to office and from seat to seat with the use of “speed money” by the applicants. According to a survey conducted by Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies (CMS) in 2005, as many as 62 percent of the citizens think that corruption is real and they have had first hand experience of paying bribe or using contact to get any job done in a public office.

Unfortunately, the vice is getting worst with each passing day and month. People have1itt1e option out to comply with the illegitimate demands of petty public officials to get ration cards, telephone connections, passports, birth and death certificates, sales tax and income tax Clearance certificates, motor driving licences, approval of building plans, conversion of lease-holds, to freeholds, registration of legal documents, etc. Even to pay electricity or telephone bills, to file sales-tax or income-tax returns bribe termed as “speed money has to be paid to avoid hours of unnecessary waiting. Touts have also emerged to do these services at a price. Public perception is that lower level public dealing employees waste considerable time in gossiping and sipping tea and the lady employees in knitting, without attending to the work of the waiting public. There appears to be neither any fear nor any sense of responsibility in performing public duties.

While in earlier days corruption was by and large confined to the lower non-gazetted staff, in course of time particularly from the early 80s it has spread to all categories and to all levels of public servants. The culture of corruption is now all-pervasive and has, so to say, become a part of life. Telgi-Stamp Paper Scam is a recent example of corruption paving reached very high level of public servants. In this case several senior Police officers including a former Police Commissioner of Bombay have been arrested. Some IG, DGP level police officers are also facing charges of rape and murder. Incidents of physical attacks by the public on corrupt and ill-behaved public servants are now being reported in increasing numbers. To prevent people taking law into their own hands it is necessary to find effective legal ways to compel public officials to perform their duties transparently and, honestly. They have to be made accountable for their acts of commission and commission. The enactment of the Right to Information Act 2005 may serve this purpose to some extent if properly and effectively implemented. The intention behind this Act as stated in its opening para is also: “to contain corruption and to hold governments and their instrumental ideas accountable to the governed”.

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