Upma Chawdhry: Women’s figure in IAS up to 30% now

Upma Chawdhry, a 1983-batch IAS officer of the Himachal cadre is the first woman to be appointed the Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of  Administration (LBSNAA), Mussorie. She has held several important posts during her stint in Himachal as well as the Centre. At present, she is heading the prestigious academy. 

Excerpts of an interview on the illustrious service and training of officers at Mussorie with special correspondent Pratibha Chauhan: 

How has the academy brought about changes in its training modules, according to the changing needs and requirements for the administration? Could you cite some examples? 

There is a pattern to the training imparted in the academy. However, the designing of training in terms of content is flexible and is moulded to respond to the times and needs. The academy designs each of its courses keeping in mind the changing scenarios and challenges. Technology has considerably modified the way content is shared and delivered. The academy was one of the first government institutions to shift to e-office and develop ERP solutions for its administrative and training needs. Moving away from purely lecture-based sessions, we employ case studies, role plays and group work and presentation. 

Has the profile of those opting to join the civil services changed over the years and are more doctors, engineers and other professionals making it to the IAS?

Yes.  In recent years, we have noticed that the majority of trainees and as much as 70 per cent in the recent batches have professional degrees with engineering and medical being the most prominent streams. Yet again, nearly 70 per cent of the fresh batches come with work experience. This is, of course, based on the profile of the batch that reports for training at the academy and not those who sit for the exams. 

Has any study been done by the academy that greater or smaller number of women are able to crack the exam? Are the age-profile and economic background changing and whether more or less candidates from a rural background are clearing the Civil Services exam?

Women representation in batches closer to my entry in the service (1983) was nearly 13 per cent or even less. It has gone up to 30 per cent in recent times. The average age of a batch touches 28 years approximately. Larger numbers now come from tier-II and tier-III towns. 

Being the director of the academy, how do you look at the increasing number of young IAS officers quitting service due to lack of job satisfaction or disillusionment? 

I do not agree that a lot of young officers are quitting the service. Certainly, there would be instances. In fact, we have a lot of officers who have quit well-paying jobs in the private sector to join the civil services because they firmly believe that they can contribute meaningfully to the society by being a part of the government system.

Of course, there could be a number of reasons for some IAS officers leaving the service. First, opportunities opened up post-2000 with increased liberalisation and globalisation and the IAS was not untouched by it. Second, the younger generation no longer lives on the idea of  “Career for Life” but rather “Life of Careers”.  So, the idea of migrating from one job to another is not anathema to them. As an IAS officer, you are exposed to multiple responsibilities, but some may seek depth or specialisation outside the service.

What is the training period for the selected candidates like those for the IFS, IAS, IPS and IRS at Mussorie?

In any given year, anywhere close to 10 major courses are completed, both induction and in service and the duration varies for each one of them. The Foundation Course is the flagship course of the academy where officer trainees from the three All-India Services -- IAS, IPS, and the Indian Forest Service, and the Indian Foreign Service -- come together for a 15-week long programme in Mussoorie after qualifying the civil services exam in a unique build up towards esprit de corps. 

The academy organises a two-year training programme for IAS officers through a sandwich pattern of Phase I, District Training and Phase II. It continues to train IAS officers during service in Phase III, IV and V. 

What changes do you see between the mindset, dedication to service or other factors between candidates when you were a probationer yourself and the present probationers?

It would be unfair to generalise across and between batches with respect to such traits and I would desist from judging on these scores. I certainly would not doubt them as far as mindset, dedication to service or other factors are concerned. However, I have observed that the younger batches are more informed and technologically adept. They tend to look at technical solutions reducing human interface while solving issues of governance. I rate them as intelligent and certainly not given to accepting things at face value.They are also comparatively more open to change. 

Does the academy have exchange programmes with other institutes within and outside the country? Does the academy often have other nations evincing interest in the training programmes at the academy and seeking guidance?

We train officers of the Royal Bhutan Services under the Colombo plan. Earlier officers from Sri Lanka also trained at the academy. We have MOUs with various national and international Institutes of repute for specific collaborations.The Leadership Module was designed in collaboration with the Centre for Creative Learning, (CCL) USA. The Negotiation Module was designed in collaboration with IIM, Lucknow, and Bocconi School, Italy. 

Given the greater use of data is both the design and impact evaluation of government programmes, we collaborated with Harvard University for providing inputs on Evidence-based Policy Design. Personality Assessment modules are run in collaboration with Paradigm International, Charlotte, USA. 

Has Civil Services as a career option lost sheen as compared to earlier times? If so, is it because of other better options or because of disillusionment for some, when they join service? 

The fact that even today more than 8,00,0000 candidates appear for the UPSC examinations, the preliminary examination stage and take repeated attempts indicates that the Civil Services continue to be a sought-after career option. While there are several options for a career today, which were unknown during out times, several youngsters who have served in the private sector with lucrative incomes continue to join the Civil Services in search of meaning and fulfilment. 

Being a senior officer yourself, what advice would you give to the young, bright probationers all set to embark on a new journey, which is actual realisation of their dreams to make it to the Civil Services ?

Let me start by saying that I have much to learn from them myself. My advice would be: Getting into the service is a beginning and you should not remain cocooned in the sense of “having arrived.” The service offers unparalleled opportunities to try test and prove your mettle.