Issues with the Frequent Transfers of Civil Servants

• Civil servants, no matter how innovative, dedicated, and efficient they may be, need stability of tenure to govern well. Issues associated with frequent transfers are as follows: 

⇒ The Civil Services Survey Report noted that frequent transfers adversely affected job satisfaction, children’s education, family togetherness, and placed officers at the mercy of corrupt influences.

⇒ The difficulty in establishing the trust and understanding among the other officials and staffs also with the senior official, hence it takes time, but frequent transfer will lead to poor development of inter administration relations and may hamper the efficiency of the organisation.

⇒ The is improvement in the median tenure after the 2014 on national level, as per the DOPT’S SUPREMO, Single User Platform Related to Employees Online, platform data 15 months is average period of the posting of a civil servant serve in India. There are few civil servants who get transferred too frequently for example Ashok Khemka and Pradeep Kasni both these officers till now transferred for more than 50 and 65 times respectively.

⇒ For bringing changes in the system, it is required to stay in apposition for a long period to bring sustained reforms. But due to the poor stability and huge political interference in transfers become the biggest demotivating factor for civil servants to bring changes in the administrative system. Even in most of the cases Bureaucrats do not get recognition and rewards which again is a big hurdle in encouraging civil servants to introduce innovation in work culture and make more people centric administrative mechanisms.

⇒ Fear of transfer and the temptation of promotion can distort civil servants’ judgement, making them politically submissive.

⇒ Transfers essentially weakens the administration.

⇒ They often reflect administrative favouritism and create divisions among civil servants.

⇒ If transfers are done on a political basis, this impacts the neutrality of the civil services. The core value of neutrality, impartiality, and anonymity- cannot be maintained without a transparent transfer policy.

Views of Various Committees/Commissions:

• The Second Administrative Reforms Commission has highlighted the issue of frequent transfer of civil servants. After an election, when a new government takes office, one of the first things the political administration does is transfer civil servants.

⇒ These transfers are frequently performed for caste or community reasons, as well as financial factors. These transfers based on the prejudices of cast, community, ideology etc may even hurt the integrity of the bureaucracy and it can be disastrous for the entire structure of administrative structure as caste-based discrimination will take pace.

⇒ Also, the political neutrality jeopardises the aim of the good governance and discrimination based system will trickle down within the entire system, especially when it comes to promotion, transfers, reforms in administration will take back seat.

⇒ Hence it is very important to form an independent board to play a key role when it comes to transfers, placements, promotions, faster advancements, etc and allow the board to function on the line of the UPSC.

• The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000) observed that “arbitrary and questionable methods of appointments, promotions and transfers of officers by political superiors led to corrosion of the moral basis of its independence.”
• The 5th Pay Commission also gave the recommendation against the premature transfers and every civil servant should be given minimum tenure to serve in the given position or office.

•  Surinder Nath Committee (2003): This committee also suggested the need to form a civil services board for carrying out the current function of the central Board, which is headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

• P C Hota Committee (2004): Recommended to form Civil Services Board with the presence of the senior Bureaucrats and also give statutory recognition to this board through the enactment of the Civil Services act and formation of such boards/ establishments on state and national level.

⇒ Another key recommendation made by the committee was setting up an appointment committee of the cabinet and giving it to the final authority to decide transfer of the officers of the central staffing scheme.