‘Steel Frame’, the future of India

SHRINIWAS JOSHI

Credit for celebrating Civil Services Day on April 21 this year goes to the Himachal Institute of Public Administration, Fairlawns, Dhalli, Shimla. Madhu Bala Sharma, Director of the institute, took keen interest in its organisation and invited the Panchayat pradhans, members of the Zila Parishad, representatives of NGOs and other members of the civil society, besides former and present bureaucrats and probationer civil servants. Her inputs inbetween the deliberations along with those of the Joint Director Ravinder and Technical Director Neeraj carried the day with flying flag (see photo).

As former bureaucrat, I got the opportunity of informing the gathering about the importance of the day. Why is the day celebrated on April 21? On this day in 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Home Member, so titled in the Interim Central Government, addressed the first batch of the All India Administrative Service officers at Metcalf House in Delhi. It was an epoch-making day when Sardar Patel gave the immortal words to the civil servants: “You are the pioneers in the Indian Service and the future of this service will depend upon the foundations and traditions that will be laid down by you, by your character and abilities and by your spirit of service.”

He dubbed the civil service as the ‘steel frame of India’. Civil Services Day is being celebrated every year since 2006. This year Home Minister Raj Nath Singh was to address civil servants at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. What happened? The minister reached the venue five minutes before time but the officers were late and the programme had a delayed start. Raj Nath Singh, in a gentle manner, asked a sarcastic question whether the “steel frame” had corroded.

The house at HIPA, after the opening address, raised a toast for Rakesh Kanwar, Deputy Commissioner of Solan, for receiving an award in Delhi from the Prime Minister on the day for excellent work in getting Solan Agriculture Mandi connected through e-NAM with the market.

A couple of probationers knew that the theme for the day was ‘Making new India’ and for achieving that it was necessary to enhance the productivity of civil services and for that civil servants had to think ‘out of box’ and work with empathy. They also knew that the topic for discussion for the day was ‘Creating Value in Government through Human Capital Management’ and also knew the challenges related to human capital and their solutions.

Dr OP Bhureta, president of the Gyan Vigyan Samiti, HP, in a presentation, showed the dangerous road in Pangi around Sansaari Nala where people get out of the buses and prefer walking. Not far-off is Jammu and Kashmir where the roads are much better. He said it showed the total apathy of the political executives and civil servants towards the locals.

Giving example of routine and bureaucratic approach among the civil servants with lacking ‘empathy’, he talked about Piran Panchayat on the border of Sirmaur and Shimla districts from where the nearest office is so far that one has to spend Rs.170 as single side fare in a bus and when, on reaching the destination, one finds the officer missing, either running after a political bigwig or attending a function, the poor fellow had to shell out Rs 500 on a futile run.

Ramakant, probationer DSP, said he was stupefied to see a board outside a house in Chandigarh, “To Let, but Himachalis not allowed.” When he asked for the reason, the householder said they were the sons of rich applewalas who spend money on drugs and daaru and were burdens to the peaceful atmosphere. The subject of increasing the use of drugs among the adolescents in Himachal was hotly discussed.

Leela of Sutra, Jeet Singh Kanwar, Pradhan GP Dhalli, Rajeev-probationer tehsildar, Nirmala coordinator for single women project in Himachal, Nirmal and Anita took active part in the deliberations. On Diwali, the sweets go dear but on March 31, the spirit goes cheaper. Why? they asked.