Bureaucracy

• Impartial selection based on merit: The Union Public Service Commission has been entrusted with the task of conducting the recruitment process of civil servants for the government of India
• Corresponding public service commissions are provided for the States also
• Members of the Public Service Commissions are set for a fixed term
• Their riddance or suspension is subject to a thorough inquiry made by a judge of the Supreme Court
• More representative: The Constitution has provided the reservation of jobs for the Dalits and Adivasis. Subsequently, they have also been offered to women and other backward classes
• Persons chosen by the UPSC for Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service constitute the backbone of the high-level Bureaucracy in the States  
•  An IAS or IPS officer is assigned to a particular State, where they work under the guidance of the State government
• Key administrative officers of the States are under the supervision of the central government
• Though, the administrative officers are recruited by the central government. They can proceed back into the service of the central government
• Solely the central government can take disciplinary action against them
• Apart from the administrative IPS officers appointed by the UPSC, the higher authority of the State is taken care of by officers appointed through the State PSC.

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 Issues with the Bureaucracy:

• Insensitive to ordinary citizens: People are afraid of approaching a government officer
• Political interference: It turns the Bureaucracy into an instrument in the politician’s hands
• There are fewer provisions for protecting civil servants from political interference
• Not enough provisions: It is also felt that enough conditions are not there to ensure the accountability of the Bureaucracy to the citizens. There’s an expectation that measures like the Right to Information may make the Bureaucracy a little more responsive and accountable

The Advantages of Bureaucracy

• Power division: This facilitates work and fosters specialisation

• Effectiveness: Competence increases; work is carried out efficiently under the supervision of direct supervisors in the hierarchy

• Accountability and compliance: Ordinary citizens may hold government officials and bureaucrats accountable for their actions while performing their duties. If anything goes wrong, the organisation is held responsible

• Decision-making power: Individuals are often assigned decision-making authority by their immediate superiors, while managers are given authority by those above them in the hierarchy

• Regulations and rules: A collection of clearly defined rules and regulations makes compliance with them an obligation inside the bureaucratic system, restricting the degree to which non-adherence to the framework of rules and protocols is tolerated

• Ease of administration: Makes administration easier by rationally structuring the organisation in a structural hierarchy. Because of the organization’s size, maintaining control of management, making required changes as needed, and adopting new rules as needed are made easier under a bureaucratic structure

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Bureaucracy’s Drawbacks

• Red tape: Bureaucracy, by definition, follows a set of rules and regulations. This leads to a lack of flexibility and, as a consequence, inefficiency

• The extensive collection of rules that govern a bureaucratic system often leads to significant delays

• Corruption at the highest levels of government: Corruption at the highest levels of government may be tremendously damaging to the economy

• Goals shift: Working in a bureaucratic system is inefficient, and the accumulation of rules and regulations often takes priority over the end product

• Even for relatively simple procedures, a significant quantity of documentation may be required

• Compartmentalisation: Because jobs are classified, coordination and completion of work in other categories are restricted

• Nepotism: Nepotism is a common problem in bureaucracies. Top managers may prefer their own and aid them in growing quicker than more deserving individuals

• Decisions in the bureaucracy are made in accordance with a set of rules and regulations. This rigidity often leads to the acceptance of programmed options at the cost of investigating other alternatives

• Conclusion

  India’s post-independence bureaucracy may be fairly seen as a legacy of British authority in India. As a result, the system that was built was of high quality and was extremely beneficial to India after independence. The shift of bureaucrats from colonial administration to newly acquired democratic culture was flawless, which would not have been possible without the expertise of the civil body. Most Indian administrations managed ICS (Indian Civil Service) officers for more than two decades following independence.

  The ICS officers gradually retired, and by the late 1970s, the vast majority had quit, leaving the whole Indian Administrative System in the hands of IAS personnel. This might be regarded as the start of a new age in Indian bureaucracy. The Indian bureaucracy of today is strong and capable of running the Indian Government through its ups and downs.