Honest civil servants need to be protected

The 2010 Civil Services examination results are out. I always look forward to this annual event because it gives an insight into the future composition of our bureaucracy. From the more than 500,000 candidates who appeared for the preliminary examination, 920 (717 men and 203 women) have been shortlisted for appointment. Going down memory lane, I remember that when I took the examination more than four decades ago, there were just about 10,000 who took it. There was only one and no preliminary test, and just about 500-600 were picked up finally for appointment. We were 70 and odd in the IPS as against 150 who are joining the IPS this time. There will be an equal number for the IAS. [caption id=“attachment_8868” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Representational image. AFP Photo”]  [/caption] A girl from Chennai has topped the list. (I am delighted at this, not because I come from Tamil Nadu. I thought after all that adverse publicity that it received from the 2G scam, the state deserved a break!). The second rank also went to a lady, who, incidentally, is a mother! As usual, the single largest group are engineers. There is a complement of medical doctors as well. Interestingly, the third rank was bagged by a dentist from Chennai. I am gratified that 28 physically challenged individuals have been chosen. This is how it should be, if we are to be recognised by the rest of the world that we are a civilised nation. At present India is one of the most unfriendly countries for its insensitivity to the needs of this unfortunate group. One will have to go to the US to get to know how much more we can do to relieve the distress of those who are challenged physically. [caption id=“attachment_9563” align=“alignleft” width=“150” caption=“RK Raghavan”]  [/caption] The first ranker – Divyadarshini - has started on the right note. Talking to TV reporters, she said last night that she would combat corruption in public services. I am happy at this, because unless we catch them young, senior civil servants either become disillusioned and quit their jobs or join the loot. Neither is good for the health of the nation. We need bright young men and women with values and courage to stem the rot that has set in. The Prime Minister speaks to IAS/IPS probationers every year, and exhorts them to be honest and courageous. Knowing him as we do, Manmohan Singh means what he says. But what can one good man in government do to root out the evil? Precious little. This is why we want a majority of probationers to take a resolve when they enter the services that they will not be reticent when they confront irregularities around them. I know such a resolve means nothing in an ambience that reeks of evil and greed. It is equally true that a non-conformist civil servant who puts his or her foot down against corruption is invariably intimidated and moved to innocuous positions where they cannot interfere with a corrupt process. This is the unfortunate situation that is fast eroding the image of the country abroad. In my early years of service, an inconvenient civil servant, who refused to toe the ruling party line, was just shifted from his post. Nowadays, it is sheer intimidation that demoralises a young Collector or Superintendent of Police. If a large number of bright boys and girls still opt to come in, it speaks volumes for their idealism and innate goodness. It is the duty of the polity, right from the Prime Minister down to MLAs, to nurse the civil service, if they are genuinely interested in upgrading the plight of the common man. If the civil servant is demoralised you can hardly expect him or her to perform at their best. Protection of the honest civil servant and elimination of the corrupt should be the watchword. The judiciary can do only a little. The major initiative should come from Chief Secretaries and Directors-General of Police. If they do not take this sacred task seriously, the young civil servant is literally thrown to the wolves. In spite of all that has been done by the judiciary, the appointments of Chief Secretaries and DGPs remain mired in controversy and foulplay. There is a need for the media to be ever vigilant in this regard and publicise questionable appointments, so that any damage done is quickly repaired. We saw this happening in the last CVC’s choice. We would like to see similar awareness and action in the case of other administrative positions as well. Such vigilance would send the right signals to those who are just starting their careers in public service. (The writer is a former Director of the CBI)