An 'agnipath' for the IAS

India is supposedly steeped in bureaucracy, but today’s government is crying out for bureaucrats, especially those from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). As per the 2021 annual report of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the total number of ‘in position’ IAS cadre is 5,231 against a sanctioned strength of 6,746. A parliamentary committee corroborated this huge shortage of more than 1,500 IAS officers at the central and state levels. With governance worsening by the day, it is imperative to address this shortfall to prevent having to appoint non-cadre officers to cadre posts or giving multiple charges to serving officers -- both of which will have an adverse effect on administrative efficiency.

In 2018, the government believed in an ambitious reform programme in civil service recruitment: Bringing in specialists through a lateral entry process. A report on the 2019 Joint Secretary level lateral entry recruits, however, shows that of the nine recruits, one did not join despite being selected, another quit and returned to the private sector while seven others soldier on, getting accustomed to the time-consuming and unproductive focus on paperwork and process in the government, with umpteen roadblocks on the way.

Lateral hiring has failed to impress the government, which now claims the recruits are market experts and not a substitute for the IAS. As domain experts, they are unsuitable for general administration but fit into ministries such as civil aviation, that work in tandem with the private sector.

How then will this scheme enable the government to build manpower up to the desired levels? Gaps in this initiative leave the government with no other way than to urgently increase the annual intake of IAS officers.

The Indian armed forces, faced with a similar situation, devised the Agnipath scheme. The scheme, announced to recruit 9,362 officers required by the armed forces, met with stiff resistence initially putting the government on the back foot.

Nevertheless, it makes sense to adopt a similar scheme to address the shortage of IAS officers. Adapting the scheme to civil service recruitment is not bizarre, a ‘lateral entry’ scheme has already appointed recruits on a contract basis for a period of three years extendable to five years based on a candidate’s performance.

India needs more work-horses at the deputy secretary and director levels, not top-level bloat. Today’s guaranteed promotions ensure every bureaucrat, however inefficient, gets a senior position at some point in his tenure. Civil service Agniveers recruited on a four-year basis will smoothen contractual mid-career culling, ensuring only dedicated and incorruptible bureaucrats with aptitude and a demonstrated ethos of performance will survive long enough to fill higher posts.

Surely, it is a tectonic shift towards a more tech-savvy civil service with a fresh lease of vigour and passion. But the initiative will usher in a more youthful profile, bring down the average age, besides slashing a ballooning salary, gratuity and pension bill. Impressionable civil service officer recruits will acquire administrative skills, adjust to a chain of command in service, easily combat administrative, logistical, and related issues, and acquire skills to co-ordinate across departments and ministries, with states and districts; in short get amalgamated into the Indian bureaucracy. Several issues will arise, similar to those faced by the armed forces, typically with regard to training. Can a 15-day foundation course replace experience gathered over 15 years? Consider the Army’s experience with Kargil or the Galwan incident where 25% of the troops had less than 4 years of experience. Senior officers of the armed forces would willingly put their lives into the hands of these youngsters.

Another issue is at the end of tenure, when a fraction of the original Agnipath entrants get absorbed, what happens to the demobilised entrants who face an uncertain future? Agniveers are promised priority in jobs by central ministries, public sector units and state governments. A scheme that works for the army can work for the civil services as well.

The Agnipath scheme will surely address the crunch of IAS officers who, even today, are selected on the basis of marks in one exam. Only now, the government gets the opportunity to pick and choose on the basis of four years of performance.

Agniveers manning government departments and ministries, leaving before securing pension and gratuity benefits, will undoubtedly bring a change in bureaucratic culture, red-tapism, rule-book bureaucracy, and status-quoism. Existing problems like stagnation among officers, inefficiency, reforming the empanelment process, and forced retirements will cease to matter.

Remember, with the Chinese at our doorstep, we are confidently making transformational changes in recruitment to armed forces. Surely we can consider the Agnipath Scheme for civil service recruitment too?

(The writer is former ED and member, Board of Directors, BEML)