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Business News/ Opinion / Columns/  Opinion | Building human resource is new govt’s challenge
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Opinion | Building human resource is new govt’s challenge

The present government will have to be careful not to repeat the mistakes made in the past to ensure that the civil service retains it morale to deliver effectively

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Reuters)Premium
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Reuters)

The best of intentions can go wrong if the machinery that is assigned the task of “making these intentions happen on the ground" is inappropriate. Hence, human resource management is critical. The present government will have to be careful not to repeat the mistakes made in the past to ensure that the civil service retains it morale to deliver effectively. What happened in the case of two “meticulously selected" Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to head the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) can’t be allowed to be repeated. Was it a reflection of a deeper malaise that has afflicted the civil service? Is there something wrong with the process of selection? Despite a much touted “360 degree assessment", why were so many senior officers shifted so often?

Why was Rupak Dutta, an IPS officer with impeccable credentials and with a long tenure in the CBI, not considered for the post of director and shifted and attached to the home ministry? Why were Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana brought to the CBI after clearance by Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the former dumped on the basis of a report by the same CVC? Were competence and integrity not the criteria to select officers for these posts?

As many as 17 ministries/departments had five secretaries or more during the last four years. Not all these postings were necessitated on account of superannuation. The social sector suffered the most. The rural development ministry had five secretaries, as did crucial ministries such as health and human resource development. How can these sectors develop with such frequent changes at the top? Secretaries were supposed to be selected after due diligence (read 360 degrees). If that was the case, why were two home secretaries shifted before they could complete their tenure of two years? Some other changes were equally baffling. Vrinda Sarup, with huge experience in the school education sector, was shifted out suddenly. J.S. Deepak, the then secretary, telecom, was attached to the ministry of commerce in an overnight order, while he was representing the country at an international conference in Barcelona. Anuj Bishnoi was shifted three times during his tenure as secretary. Why was C.K. Mishra shifted out of the ministry of health and family welfare? If he wasn’t good enough, how did he get the ministry of environment and forests?

A large number of public sector undertakings (PSUs) were left headless for months together, adversely impacting their performance. Coal India Ltd was one such example where the absence of a chairman and managing director (CMD) created havoc.

Every time one interacted with the Prime Minister, one could not but be impressed with his sincerity of purpose and clarity of thought. The intent was always there and this was reflected in his thought, expression, and action. There were indeed some brilliant initiatives and decisions. The setting up of secretaries groups, getting trainee IAS officers for a three-month stint in Delhi, posting some senior level officers well ahead of the retirement of the previous incumbent, and the amendment to Section 13(1)(d)(ii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act were praiseworthy and reflected the positive intent of the Prime Minister in the context of human resource management. Where did it go wrong? The answer perhaps lies in the humongous nature of managing the army of civil servants. With almost everything getting concentrated in the hands of a handful civil servants, the task has become too big to handle. This also led to enormous delays in decisions relating to postings, resulting in vacancies for long durations. Can some of the work be delegated to different levels? Can competence and integrity and not allegiance become the criteria for selection? Should there be a greater stability of tenure? These are, as they say, million dollar questions that beckon answers. The new government should attempt to answer these questions.

Anil Swarup, is a retired 1981 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He was secretary coal and school education and is the author of ‘Not Just A Civil Servant’

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Published: 30 May 2019, 07:12 PM IST
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