A Public servant by definition is an individual who is employed by / for the government to work in a public sector. Public servants have been in the system for a long time now. It has become more organized since the British period. In India, these individuals can be grouped into the Administrative services, the police services, the Foreign Services, the Revenue services, the Forest services, the postal services, the public works department, the Indian railways, State owned enterprises etc. These individuals / officers are responsible for the flawless functioning of the system / Department they are commissioned into. This gives them a great deal of responsibility. I, therefore agree that a public servant should not be corrupt.
These individuals form link between the People and the government, between the benefits and the beneficiaries, between the goals and the results. The world class highways, the efficient railways, the Public distribution systems, the waste management systems, the centrally sponsored schemes for the benefit of deprived sections are managed mostly by the public servants. The public sector is also responsible to create the conditions for economic growth, infrastructure development, sound health services, a strong education system and food security. Any deviation from the right track can therefore be disastrous. There have been such deviations and have caused a lot of problems to our country.
The corruption among public servants in the administration has fuelled the problem of Naxalism and Maosim with basic amenities and development not reaching the needy. They feel betrayed by the authorities. The unemployment problem in Punjab has made many of its youth addicted to drugs. The less developed states like Bihar and Orissa have been plagued by corrupt public servants for decades now. The illegal mining of granites in Tamil Nadu and Sand in Uttar Pradesh could not have happened without the involvement of the public servants. This has resulted in huge losses to the country's capital and resources, and not to forget the environmental damage as a result of such corrupt practices. The Global Fund initiative, a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C, has estimated that 28 lakh crores of illegal money was sent outside India in 2013. These Incidents have created mass awareness among people.
Anti-corruption groups have been established, Mass movements carried out and demand for stringent laws have been made recently. Governments have fallen and elections have been fought over the issue of corruption, of which Public servants have been accused repeatedly. It is now being understood that corruption among the public servants have a major role to play in Inflation, water and electricity shortages, poor infrastructure, inefficient and substandard services. This has also resulted in decreased respect and stature of public sector jobs.
The public servants need to understand and acknowledge the true definition of a 'Public Servant ' , the one who works for the benefit of people, one who puts the nations and peoples interest before his/her own. This needs to be the driving force behind public services. The public servants have to understand the duties and powers vested in them and will have to work according to the rule of law and the constitution of India. This is how India and Indians will move forward. Jai Hind.
Dr. Rahul Jha
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