In India, public servant is defined as the "Appointing positions of the Government in connection with the affairs of the Union and includes a civilian in a Defence service, except positions in the Indian Armed forces" and customarily known as Babus.India is the centre of bureaucracy. There is no denying the fact that public servants run the administration of our country. This all commenced with the establishment of the first Public service Commission on 1 October 1926 under the chairmanship of Sir Ross Barker. The persons are selected through the rigorous selection process to formulate policies, understand needs of the society, strive for its welfare, protect citizens and work in the best interest of the nation. Civil servants are the interlocutors between government and people whose responsibility is to comprehend people's wishes and getting them fulfilled not only through tailor-made policies to feed people's interests but play an indispensable role in their implementation and monitoring.
The role of public servant is vital in any society or system. And that's why the traits like integrity, conscientiousness, fairness, accountability, transparency are often attached to their role and title due to the immensely significant position they hold. And as the saying goes "With great power comes great responsibility", they are accorded the status and power to fulfill their responsibilities in the best possible manner. In fact article 311 of the constitution is incorporated to protect them from politically motivated or vindictive action. The open testimony to the fact that society wants and respects honest civil servants is the public wrath that followed the suspension of Dura Shakti Nagpal and growing demand for her suspension to be revoked ultimately culminating in the revocation. That's why BJP chose Kiran Bedi over Arvind Kejriwal as CM candidate because people now want corrupt free and transparent governance and to break that image of corruption, the party needed an honest face. My intention is not to laud or disgrace any party but to make home the point that integrity and uprightness are the virtues that our society is in direst need of.
We have physical resources, skilled and non-skilled manpower, know-how, capital, infrastructure, but still the pace of our progress is painfully slow and India is disturbingly a third-world country. India is home to 26% hungry people, unemployment rate is 6%,population is increasing at exponential rate, prevalent social evils like child labour, dowry system, rapes, spike in crime rate and the list is on. The crux of the story is why we are handicapped despite having everything. We have everything but intention. The colossal truth is our policy makers are busy making money and bootlicking minsters instead of working for the welfare of people the job for which they are appointed.
When public servants indulge in corrupt practices or red tapism they not only mar their own credibility and conscience but play along with future of millions. This nexus between bureaucrats and businessmen will prove fatal to India's future. India works on the principle of socialism. Our constitution talks about equality, equitable distribution and justice. Our five year plan has financial inclusion as its objective but accomplishing this is a far-fetched dream with the extensive presence of crony capitalism.
The policies are created but never implemented. In fact implementation never becomes possible due to corrupt government machinery and entire allocated money is just gobbled up by the intertwined web of babus, ministers and government officers.
Some will contend that public servants are not responsible for all this mishap as the executive power rests in the hands of elected representatives and ministers and public servants are just policymakers not decision takers. And some will say that diplomats solely can't change the system or survival is not possible with such honest attitudes. To all such people:
"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."
Payal Mittal
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