The Indian Civil Services (ICS) has witnessed a sea change from the time it was conceptualised under the British Raj - from a service to preserve the East India Company’s rule, to a service for independent India. This change includes its operation, role definition and even the people that work for it.

Today, the service faces problems such as a high dropout ratio and a lack of interested candidates. However, one factor has remained constant over the years - the service can offer complete job satisfaction, and garners immense respect. If earlier, aspirants looked to the service to fight for social issues, today they do so to be part of the growing economy.

Here are four individuals who chose to be part of the elite core of administrators: a civil servant of the 1980-cadre from Jawaharlal Nehru University; a female IPS officer from Delhi University; an IITian who after working overseas now aspires to be a civil servant; and a doctor from the Armed Forces Medical College, currently preparing for the civil services.

MANOJ K SRIVASTAVA
Principal secretary, disaster management, government of Bihar

A student of JNU and an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of the 1980 Bihar-cadre, Srivastava, who has also been associated with the London School of Economics for various academic initiatives, came into public service to be a part of the social change witnessed in the 1970’s.

“Though there are various ways to be a part of social change, I thought, becoming a part of the government’s machinery would make a visible impact on the welfare of the common man. Moreover, there was a sense of righteousness involved with this vocation at that time. Those of us who went to the US were known as ‘deserters’. But now those milieus – the deep value about public service and a sense of élan that I was choosing a particular area of work that was most valued in society are more or less gone. One rarely sees those ‘charged’ professionals, since today, everyone seems to be choosing corporate careers. Even those from IIMs and IITs who join the services today come with a pre-planned objective: ‘I will work for a few years, make connections and then move into an international organisation’.

But I have seen examples of these ‘charged’ professionals as well who join the service with ideals like ‘public good’. However, they eventually lose their commitment when confronted with reality. Most can’t handle getting stationed in some backward subdivision and moving around in villages with bad roads. However, this wasn’t the case in the past, probably since the villages and towns were pretty much in the same condition.”

PRAGYA RICHA SRIVASTAVA
Joint commissioner, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan

A student of Loreto Convent and a postgraduate student from Delhi University, Pragya became an IPS officer from Madhya Pradesh-cadre in 1991. A simple challenge extended by a policeman to exchange places and prove herself, made her resolve to wear the uniform. She started her career in Bhopal, where she underwent her thana training. She has served as the ASP of Jabalpur, additional SP of Chindwara, and SP of Seoni and Hoshangabad.

“From my personal experience I have seen that the aspirations of the youth have seen a lot of changes. Today, most of the younger people aspire to be engineers, doctors and technocrats, leaving little room for this vocation. Unfortunately, most students today think that civil servants do not have much scope to exhibit their talent. But, once again, from my experience I have seen there is immense job satisfaction and contrary to popular belief, there is great scope for creativity as well. One can make a huge difference. We can reach out and find remedies to almost all the ills of society. It is interesting to note that the number of aspirants from smaller towns is increasing and they are, in fact, better suited for this kind of profession.”

VAIBHAV KUMAR
Engineer and ICS aspirant

A chemical engineer from IIT Rourkee, 2001-batch, Kumar was employed at Infosys. He also worked in New York and Toronto. After three years of earning in dollars, he is back in India aspiring to be a civil servant. Despite success in the corporate sector, Kumar decided to join the service.

“For me, the reason for wanting to be a part of the ICS, was simple - its scale of operation. In the IT sector, one would progress and become a project manager or a delivery manager and be responsible for, perhaps, 100 junior colleagues. But as a deputy collector, I would be responsible for the whole district. No matter how big an organisation one works for, it is but a dwarf in front of a country like India. I have always been passionate about the service. Moreover, the country is growing and I want to be a part of this growth directly.

It is unfortunate that today’s youth has chosen a very professional rather than a passionate approach towards civil services. The present generation looks to the service only as a means to build their career. Their dedication towards society seems to be directly proportional to the social recognition they get. As a civil servant one may lose out to his corporate counterpart’s ‘cost to company’ compensation. But the biggest incentive for me is to be able to be a part of the growth process directly. Besides, no corporate could match the facilities provided to a civil servant. And the ‘power’ one gets is another factor altogether.

However, I don’t believe that the profession has lost its charm altogether. About 10 to 12 years ago people were forced to go for the civil services. But now, regardless of the numbers, those who join the service do so of their own free will.”

BHASKAR THAKUR
Doctor and ICS aspirant

Thakur hails from Muzafarpur, Bihar and has an MBBS degree from Air Force Medical College (AFMC), Pune. Instead of serving in the force as a doctor, he paid off Rs 15 lakh and is now preparing for the civil services. With financial assistance from his family, compensation is not something that worries Thakur. He was looking to do something different and civil services seemed apt.

“I will be able to serve society, it has a broader mass appeal, and you have the power to make policies. There are so many policies to be made that would make our nation stronger, and I want to be a part of those changes. As an AFMC pass-out, theoretically I was supposed to join the forces but instead I chose to pursue my dream. Practicing medicine is indeed a noble profession but we are living in a country that is witnessing rapid economic changes. Rather than a person who is being affected by these changes, I decided to be the part of the force that is going to shape new India. I want to be a part of the ‘facilitator and regulator’ community.

I somewhat differ in the notion that people join civil services only to pursue a corporate career later on. Why would people spend so many years as a bureaucrat and then leave the service for a corporate job, when a good MBA degree can also offer matching prospects. I understand that most of the companies prefer to have civil servants in their board of directors, but in the backdrop of the transparency drive and the government’s efforts of facilitating business opportunities, I think the assumption of having a former civil servant for cracking red tape hassles is a myth.”

Sources: The Times Of India