To put it in perspectives, BoI wrote an article based on Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer P Satya Prasanth's personal blog post. The young officer argued how setting up and implementation of a scientific direct taxes policy and administrative system have become a cardinal need, for which the political leadership must look beyond “the half cooked platter of facts (read lies) presented by the administrative leadership (read IAS)”. We received an overwhelming response from our readers, many of whom were well-informed officers, preferring to post their comments anonymously. We did not however accept a large number of comments where the writers did not follow the basic grammar of decency and went overboard.
Commenting on the IRS officer’s argument against an IAS being posted as Union revenue secretary, one reader said: “He forgets that when he filled the UPSC form he too put IAS as his first choice. This is just sour grapes”. Immediately there was a counter-argument: “Almost everybody keeps IAS as first option while filing the UPSC form. That doesn’t mean that IAS officers should head every department like finance, revenue, animal husbandry, environment, defence, human resources, sports, commerce, science & technology, audit, etc…This is the age of specialisation. I think the IAS should be abolished immediately and specialists are given a bigger role. We are still following the erstwhile British system even now. The British have already reformed their civil services. It’s high time we also reform ours.”
“Rubbish”, the reply came. “British still have generalists running every department; every corporate CEO is a generalist not a specialist.”
Another reader said if such demands continue, there would be a day when every service might demand the coveted post of cabinet secretary, India’s top bureaucrat. “Can anyone imagine how things will move and at what pace if we have, say IFoS as Forest Secretary, IPS as Home Secretary and then IRS as Revenue etc...Next even one fine day people would start asking for Cabinet Sec from their own service. This would literally put our country in total chaos. As per Foreign Affairs it’s from Allocation of Business Rules and there is parity which has been maintained right from its inception between IAS and IFS and hence they have their own secretary,” the reader said.
“There is enough space and canvass for all service to work in their own domain and serve the country…” the reader continued.
BoI views that every cadre was created with some basic logic. But Indian civil service, and the rules and processes therein, must remain dynamic. But let’s sort out the issues with a broad smile. As George Eliot says, “Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles.”
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Why IRS should not be under IAS
very well said by one of the reader." Can anyone imagine how things will move and at what pace if we have, say IFoS as Forest Secretary, IPS as Home Secretary and then IRS as Revenue etc...Next even one fine day people would start asking for Cabinet Sec from their own service. This would literally put our country in total chaos. As per Foreign Affairs it’s from Allocation of Business Rules and there is parity which has been maintained right from its inception between IAS and IFS and hence they have their own secretary.
ReplyDeleteAll in the government have same objective,i.e. to work in the larger interest of people.
One should understand the IRS perform the functions of financial regultion, adjudication and quasi-judiciary. But then why do IAS occupy the posts in SEBI, IRDA, BIFR, Election Commission, RBI, ED, FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit), to name a few...Then is it not grabbing the posts meant for others. They are protraying as if the country would be torn into pieces if some other service officer occupies the post of Cab.Secy. Reforms picked up in full swing when Monteck Singh was the Fin Secy.
DeleteThis is a totally outdated argument. There should be neither IAS nor IRS or whatever. There must be a modern governance system, as outlined in BFN - something that the rest of the world has had for decades.
ReplyDeleteWe need to get out of our staid and outdated way of looking at the world.
In my view ,Specialists should be heading the particular departments. when it comes to head an company it should be Generalist. By specialist or generalist it does not mean one should belong to a particular service but it experience and qualification to do a particular job
ReplyDeleteThings are not very far,soon system will change as per the need and demand.Not the question of IAS, IFS (Forest),IRS,soon the experts are going to handle every ministry.
ReplyDeleteNature takes its own course.wait for only few more years to witness the event.
R Gopinath IFS
It is very unfortunate that the prime money laundering investigative agency of our country is headed by IAS officer. That is totally unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteHow could an officer having zero knowledge of accounts and finance become Enforcement Director (ED). An IRS is best suited for the post. Rest of all officers in ED are mostly IRS. Since they are the people who can do real investigation, they should be allowed to head the dept.
Take example of DRI headed by IRS, in course of time DRI has become one of the most successful inv agencies and has carried out many high profile arrests.
But the ED in the clutches of these power hungry and highly selfish IAS lobby is unable to show its full strength. It is high time people should realise this.