Amidst all the noise, outrage and uncalled-for arson over the ‘Agnipath’ model of military recruitment, selected ‘Agniveers’ at the end of the day will represent victory of merit over long practiced mediocrity in the Government of India.
It will also, in turn, impose accountability at the level of commanding officers and generals who, in the past, routinely got away with 10/10 outstanding appraisals and promotions.
That the Narendra Modi government is for merit-cum-seniority, and not the other way around, and is clear on removing bureaucratic deadwood despite legal hurdles, is evident in the appointment of military chiefs, particularly in the case of present Army chief General Manoj Pande and the late General Bipin Rawat in the near past.
READ: Why a young, fitter and tech-savvy ‘Agniveer’ is the only answer to China?
The Ministry of External Affairs has now also joined this bandwagon of holding bureaucrats accountable for their work by recommending compulsory retirement this month of two senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers under clause 56 J of the Fundamental Rules.
Although Hindustan Times will not disclose the names of the officers concerned, the decision has sent shock-waves within the hallowed diplomatic establishment as the MEA has decided not to tolerate mediocrity and a casual attitude.
The days of IFS officers getting a good foreign posting after serving in hard areas abroad, or only on seniority, are over with MEA deciding to post only ambassadors who speak the local language and experience as a prerequisite for heading a mission.
While the Finance Ministry has taken similar action under 56 J against several IRS officers, the government should also initiate similar action in other civil service branches, even though appointments to posts like Secretary to Government of India or Director General of Police are done after much due diligence.
However, heads of ministries, military and intelligence are facing a peculiar situation while removing deadwood or appointing to key posts, as most civil services officers got top appraisals in the past and it is a legal hurdle to justify their removal.
Under GoI, an ‘outstanding’ appraisal means an officer has marks between eight to 10, ‘very good’ is between six to eight, and ‘good’ is below six. Perhaps due to lax control or oversight most officers have 10/10 appraisals and these officers represent or go to the court if they are marked even 8/10.
The other issue faced by departmental heads is that dismissed officers deliberately drag the head of the institution to the court by name, so the person is left to fight the case with his/her pension once he/she retires. Those lowly appraised spend their time representing against it to the government or tribunals.
Despite the legal hurdles, merit-cum-seniority – or the best person for the best job – should be the mantra for the government or else policies of the ruling dispensation will be caught in a maze of files and file-pushers with little productivity.
The Indian bureaucracy is still process-driven and not product-driven as the mandarin, after passing the civil services exam is there for a minimum of 30 years while the politician must pass an ‘exam’ every five years.
With the Modi government constantly on a reform path, it is important the bureaucracy is brought up to speed so they own the reforms rather than be a neutral bystander. The recent resistance to all reforms by the Modi government are partly because of implementation delays or communication gaps on the part of the bureaucracy. After eight years in government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to shift gears on bureaucratic reforms and throw out those who believe in status quo or live in the past era of entitlement.