Frequent Transfer of Public Servants Impede Responsive Government : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 Frequent Transfer of Public Servants

Impede Responsive Government

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

The Pioneer (30-04-2023)

On reading an interesting news item, prominently published in ‘The Pioneer’, Hyderabad Edition on April 25, 2023, that, 47 IAS officers are serving in same post for more than 3 years in Telangana State. The news item remarked that normally, IAS officers are shifted from their departments every three years, but in Telangana these many number of IAS officers have been holding the same post for more than three years. ‘The Pioneer’ claimed that it has analyzed the posting dates of IAS officers based on the data available on the TSGAD website. It further mentioned names of couple of seniors who have been working for more than 9 years, 8 years, 7 years etc. who included some retired officers.

This recapped the unique initiative in the area of Administrative Reforms in the country, way back in 1997, when IK Gujral was Prime Minister for a short duration, which included the aspect of stability of tenures to the government functionaries. An Action Plan with 9 points for Effective and Responsive Government was adopted in the Conference of Chief Ministers held on May 24, 1997, which among others included, improving the performance and integrity of the public service, streamlined and transparent transfer and promotion policy, and stability of tenures to the government functionaries or the public servants to sustain their morale.  

Well, 25 years have gone since the Action Plan was adopted on the eve of Golden Jubilee celebrations on completion of 50 years of Indian Independence. Now we have celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav on completing 75 years of Independence. What was the methodical and systematic follow-up of CM’s conference recommendation remains as a million-dolor question. Experts in administration have not debated and discussed it further as to whether frequent transfers are better or stability of tenure is better for good governance!!! This might be one reason for criticism like the one appeared in Pioneer, that, so many number of officers have a long standing in a particular post. There is every reason to argue ’for’ and ‘against’ to this. An argument ‘for’ presents reasons and evidence why something is true, whereas, an argument ‘against’ presents reason and evidence why something is not true.   

When the CM’s conference of 1997, was held I was an active observer of the process at that time, working at Dr MCR HRD Institute in Hyderabad, developing an UNDP Module on Reform Initiatives for training of public servants that was adopted all over the country, besides sending me for a trainers’ training program to Thames Valley University in United Kingdom in 2000. In addition, being one of the three members of the sub-group, constituted by the Core Group headed by the then Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, by NDA government in November 2001, I was actively associated with compiling, analyzing and evaluating the responses from state governments.

The deliberations of Conference of Chief Ministers presided over by the then Prime Minister, and attended by the then Union Home Minister, Finance Minister, Law Minister, and Minister of state for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Cabinet Secretary, Chief Secretaries of the States and Union Territories and senior officials in the Government of India discussed meticulously the Action Plan. In fact, the CM’s conference was preceded by an initiative through a National Debate on Effective and Responsive administration, at a conference of Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories, on November, 20, 1996, where it was agreed in principle, that immediate corrective steps must be taken to restore the faith of the people in the fairness, integrity, and responsiveness of the administration, which could rebuild the credibility of the Government.

In the CM’s meeting that followed the CS’s meeting, the Chief Ministers and Central Ministers attending the conference strongly endorsed the need for ensuring responsive, accountable, transparent and people friendly administration at all levels and agreed that necessary corrective steps must be taken to arrest the then (and may be now!) present drift in the management of public services. The conference resolved that the central and state governments would work together to concretize the Action Plan dealing with the theme of:  Accountable and citizen-friendly Government; Transparency and Right to Information and Improving the performance and integrity of the public service.

The conference noted that people-friendly and effective administration depends on cleansing of civil services at all levels, adherence to ethical standards, commitment to basic principles of the Constitution, and clear understanding of the relationship regulating the politicians and the civil servants. It was agreed that the politicization of the civil services would be curbed so as to minimize its impact not only on the morale and motivation of the services, but on the sustained flow of responsive services to the public and efficient execution of schemes.

            The conference appreciated the importance of encouraging and ensuring the commitment of the employees of public services to ethical standards and basic principles of constitution such as secularism, social justice, attention to the needs of weaker sections, rule of law, professionalism, and integrity. Towards this direction, it was recognized that frequent and arbitrary transfer of public servants affect the ability of the system to deliver services effectively to the people, and the implementation of poverty alleviation schemes. It was agreed that institutional arrangements should be evolved for enabling objectives and transparent decisions on postings, promotions, and transfers of officials, particularly those working in key areas to ensure stability of tenure and de-politicized postings at all levels. State Governments to implement a streamlined and transparent transfer and promotion policy so as to ensure stability of tenures to the government functionaries and to sustain their morale.

The conference recognized that, as the country completes 50 years of independence, and as the people are assailed by growing doubts about the accountability, effectiveness, and moral standards of administration, Central and State Governments should move together to justify the trust of faith of the people in the Government by taking up the implementation of the Action Plan endorsed by the conference in a time bound manner.

And hence, a considerably longer tenure to public servants including to IAS whether senior, junior or retired is probably more desirable than a short term. Frequent transfers not to speak of transfers on political grounds with favoritism, nepotism, adopting spoils system or patronage system, a practice in which some are favored by appointment to key government posts and others are ignored is not desirable. The very fact that umpteen number of unique, first of its kind, nowhere in the country etc. kind of development and welfare programs are implemented in Telangana during the past 9 years, making it a Telangana Model, speaks volumes about the efficacy of ensuring stability of tenures to government functionaries. (The writer is Chief Public Relations Officer to Chief Minister, Telangana)