Indian Bureaucracy: Challenges & Reforms | UPSC Editorials

Last Updated on Dec 30, 2024

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Context: India’s bureaucratic framework, particularly the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), faces significant inefficiencies and challenges in adapting to modern governance needs. There are calls for urgent reforms to address systemic issues, foster efficiency, and align governance with contemporary demands.

Analysis based on	Editorial India’s ‘steel frame’ does need a check published in The Indian Express on December 24th, 2024
Topics for UPSC Prelims	Indian Constitution, Government Budgeting, Statutory, Regulatory, and Quasi-Judicial Bodies
Topics for UPSC Mains	Role of Civil Services in a Democracy, Functions and Responsibilities of the Union and the States, Issues and Challenges pertaining to the Federal Structure

Key Challenges Facing India’s Bureaucracy
India's bureaucracy faces significant inefficiencies due to political interference, lack of specialization, systemic corruption, centralization, and resistance to change.

Political Interference: Promotions and transfers often follow political considerations rather than the merit, which further damages professionalism and morale.

Lack of Specialization: Rotations prevent proper skills in areas of work; this reduces the quality of policy implementation.

Systemic Problems: Corruption and inefficiency characterize the implementation of policies by the government.

Centralization: A centralized authority creates a structure that does not take into account bureaucratic knowledge in decision-making, reducing its autonomy in making decisions.

Intrinsic Resistance: The bureaucracy offers opposition to the modernization process within itself.

Read the article on the Difference between Statutory and Quasi Judicial Bodies!

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Reforms Initiated by the Government
Lateral entry, performance measurement, reduction in IAS dominance, and administrative streamlining are undertaken by the government to reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies.

Lateral Entry: The introduction of domain experts from the private sector into senior administration to bridge the knowledge gap

57 lateral appointments have been made until 2023

Performance Measures: Increase focus on accountability through performance-measured assessments.

Reduction of IAS Dominance: IAS officers now constitute only 33% of Joint Secretaries at the Centre, as against near-total dominance a decade ago.

Administrative Streamlining: Modernization of bureaucratic processes through digitalization and efficiency-driven initiatives.

Read the article on the Non-Constitutional Bodies!

Proposed Solutions for Administrative Reform
To reform the bureaucracy, prioritizing a merit-based system, implementing protection mechanisms, developing robust data infrastructure, promoting specialization, and enacting comprehensive legislation are essential steps.

Merit-Based System: Prioritize performance over seniority in placements and promotions.

Protections: Prevent arbitrary transfer, which would destabilize officers.

Data Infrastructure: Develop robust systems to measure performance by bureaucratic units so that informed choices could be made.

Specialization: Promote domain expertise by targeted training and career development.

Legislative Framework: Enact comprehensive legislation to institutionalize reforms, including the Civil Services Standards, Performance, and Accountability Bill, 2010.

Read the article on the Services Under the Union and the States!

UPSC Practice Questions

The success of India's administrative reforms hinges on balancing modernization with institutional stability. Critically analyze the challenges and opportunities in reforming the Indian bureaucracy. (150 words, 10 marks)

Lateral entry into civil services represents a significant departure from traditional bureaucratic structures. Evaluate its potential impact on administrative efficiency and governance. (150 words, 10 marks)

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Indian Bureaucracy: Challenges & Reforms | UPSC Editorials

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