India has changed a lot, but not its bureaucracy
Since the historic speech” at the stroke of midnight..”, India has seen a lot of changes. From being called the begging bowl for PL 480, it has become the largest exporter of food items while securing food for its people. From importing cars to being one of the main exporters to Africa and Latin America. Those who doubted whether India could even survive with all such diversity, now see India as the world’s largest market and fifth-largest economy.
But from that stroke of midnight one thing that has been the same is ‘Indian bureaucracy’. Sardar Patel argued that new India will lead the iron cage of bureaucracy. The English-trained bureaucracy developed a new Aspiring India. However, even today bureaucracy suffers from the Classic shortcomings that weber’s critics had then lightened since the 18th century.
In this essay, the contrast between the changing India and stagnated Bureaucracy will be discussed and the reasons for the same.
Changing India and old bureaucracy
LPG reforms
The biggest change since Independence is undoubtedly the big-ticket change in our economy bringing liberalization, privatization, and globalization. There was a rolling back of the state. Space for the market was created to work in tandem. New India woke up to private banks, choice in telecom operators, packed food, and whatnot.
It was believed that now production control, license Raj would end. And so would the’ old bureaucratic habit’. However, new licenses and licenses Raj took over spectrum allocation, capital rationing, scams, corruption became a new trend. The market struggles to deliver what is intended.
Moreover, the Bureaucracy remained’ conformist’,’ rule- worshipping’, just like it had been. Economic survey 2019 said that opening a restaurant in India is more painful than getting an ARM/ pistol. The various clearances can even take up to a year.
Network governance and PPP models
The extension of LPG reforms was that now there were many new players in delivering essential services. NGO, civil society, private Enterprises, state, and Central Government, etc. The users, customers, and citizens aspired to world-class services even if there were user charges. The government’s role was of a regulator focusing more on service to’ Antyodaya’ and while PPP(Public-private partnership) models could deliver the best to citizens.
However, the outcome was quite different. The saying” show me the man and I will show you the rules” remained relevant. Take for example the’ drive-in’ facility of vaccination in covid. Such policies ensured that only people owning a vehicle(car) were eligible. Undoubtedly welfare approach of the so-called bureaucracy took the back seat.
Another instance was the illicit extraction of tolls in DND flyover. The So-called PPP model raised questions on the intent of government/ bureaucracy. Is it profit-making our facilities to citizens?
Digital governance
The government is visible to everyone and is one touch away. Online chat for grievances, unified application, websites, ease of payment of bills, Twitter, Facebook to name a few initiatives. Even the IAS, IPS are directed to interact with people on Twitter. The episode of the rail minister helping ailing women in train is one of the examples of what social media can do.
But even after such ‘e-Kranti’, the bureaucracy has remained slow, tall in the hierarchy. In the covid first wave, there were ventilators purchased via PM cares. But the long journey that procedural files take lead to these ventilators biting the dust, while people were gasping for oxygen.
The Pragati portal is known for the real-time progress of projects, but at the same time, there were rotting bags of food grains in FCI godowns. Later, it was justified that” there is a procedure for everything and food grains just can’t be distributed on roads.
The most important constitutional, social reforms had been Panchayat institutions.
Let us see how the 73rd constitutional amendment affected bureaucracy.
73rd amendment and bureaucracy
PRI was envisaged as the Grass root of democracy. People felt empowered to make their own decisions and the development or Vikas was in their own hands.
But alas, the parastatal bodies and the structure of PRIs broke their expectations.
All the work was still done via IAS, BDOs, etc. The problem of funds, functions, and functionaries existed. For example, the CEO of the district panchayat is the DM. DM takes all final decisions. Thus the panchayat is MERELY ornamented advisory bodies. Add to it the government bodies like water department, housing, PWD, etc, that did all the planning and execution.
Another chronic feature of bureaucracy was the insensitive attitude towards people. The colonial hangover of believing themself to be ‘Mai Baap’ of people drove them away from ground realities. The most recent example of insensitivity was UP DM Spraying disinfectant on migrant laborers and Chhattisgarh DM slapping a person who was on road to buy medicines during the lockdown.
Has there been no change in bureaucracy
In 70 years of independence, there have been people like KPS gill- the super cop, TN Seshan, Kiran Bedi, etc. These people have upheld probity, integrity in public life.
Even today we have IAS like Parmeshwar Iyer who being a secretary himself cleaned a sanitary latrine pit in solidarity with Safai karamcharis. Prasanth Nair of Kerala got Kozhikode lake cleaned by his innovative ‘operation Sulaimani’.
But even if one is cynical and sees bureaucracy to be stagnated the questions are raised on the political, societal culture of India. Changes don’t appear from one end. The day when citizens stop voting on cast lines, stop paying speed money/ bribes, stop jumping traffic signals, stop littering public places and start respecting Ideals of the constitution and inculcating values and ethics, there would certainly be a change in even the bureaucratic system.
After studying different models of countries like Estonia where Bureaucracy is replaced by Digital governance there has been similar demand in India. How nice it would be if just like Estonia all the certificates, services, etc from the womb to tomb are available online. But for a huge country like India, it is said that” good old fashioned bureaucracy will never go out of fashion”
