Governance

The local self government system (LSGs), having an important role in local planning, development and administration, got a big fillip when it got constitutional status under 73rd and 74th Amendments.

Successes of LSGs in India

• Democratic Decentralisation through the election of 30 lakh representative in panchayats alone (as per Devolution Index Report 2013-14 of IIPA).
• Voice to the marginalized and vulnerable sections of the society through reservations for women, SCs and STs.
• Effective public service delivery as per the needs of the local population through LSG allows for bottom-up approach. Example- MGNREGA.

Shortcomings of LSGs in India

The LSGs are dependent on the states for:

• Functions: The progress of devolution of powers and responsibilities to local governments at various levels is poor and uneven.
• Funds: The local bodies cannot even meet routine functions because the proceeds of various taxes are not available to them as they form part of the Consolidated Fund of the State.
• Functionaries: There is a capacity deficit among the personnel and elected functionaries due to lack of capacity building.

Measures to Improve the Status of LSG (2^nd ARC)

• Clear definition of functions for each level of local government in case of each subject matter.
• State Finance Commissions should evolve objective and transparent norms for devolution and distribution of funds.
• Capacity building efforts must attend to both the organisation building requirements as also the professional and skills upgradation of individuals associated with these bodies.
• Putting in place a well-delineated activity mapping for LSGs.

The civil service in India regarded as the ‘steel frame’ of administration, is today battling against onslaughts to its relevance. As the primary arm of government, the civil services must reform to keep pace with the changing times in order to meet the aspirations of the people.

There is a need for reforming the civil services as they have fallen short on the goals of neutrality and effectiveness due to the following reasons:

• Career-based civil services coupled with excessive job security have led to a sense of complacency and lack of accountability amongst civil servants.
• Goal displacement due to emphasis on rules rather than results – with rules becoming an end in themselves.
• The current system of training for the civil services does not adequately reflect changes in the socio-economic scenario and the emerging new challenges render conventional approaches and practices of administration obsolete and dysfunctional.
• Ivory-tower approach of civil servants due to disconnect from ground realities is reflected in their ineffective policy making. There is a marked lack of citizen-centric approach which is essential to understand and redress problems of the poor and the weaker sections.
• Lack of stability of tenure due to government’s inherent right to transfer a civil servant prevents the incumbent to learn on the job, develop his/her own capacity and then contribute in the best possible manner.
• Political interference in the form of arbitrary and whimsical transfers to ensure administrative acquiescence prevents the civil servant from acting neutrally.
• Promise of post-retirement appointments to statutory commissions, quasi-judicial tribunals, constitutional authorities or contesting election for a political office on the ticket of a political party prevent the civil servant from acting impartially.
• Promotions hinge on several factors such as patronage versus merit.

Therefore, the purpose of ‘reform’ is to reorient the civil services into a dynamic, efficient and accountable apparatus for public service delivery built on the ethos and values of impartiality, neutrality and effectiveness. Holistic reforms are needed, cutting across dimensions of training (domain competence), promotion (performance related), tenure (stable), and interface with citizens (sensitivity training) etc.