A D M I N I S T R AT I V E

REFORMS IN INDIA
INTRODUCTION

• Administrative reform is a concept related to the idea of changes in

administration that are brought about through deliberate efforts.
• In the words of Gerald Caiden, administrative reform is the artificial
inducement of administrative transformation against resistance.
INTRODUCTION

• Haan Been Lee defines administration reform as a generic process

permeating all administration phases. It is conceived as a crucial
capacity that is required for the introduction of creativity into
administrative units at whatever level for the conscious pursuit of
developmental goals.
INTRODUCTION

• The term ‘administrative reforms’ applies to improvements in the

functioning of executive machinery.
• It refers to the fundamental realignments in the structure of government
departments and changes in the methods of carrying on work within
them.
INTRODUCTION

• Differences in administrative reforms in the USA and Europe on one

hand and in developing countries like India.
• Administrative reforms refer to a process of changes in administrative
structures or procedures within the public services because they have
become out of line.
INTRODUCTION

• In countries like India, the main objective of administrative reforms is

to upgrade the administrative bodies to enable them to execute public
policies effectively and responsibly which can lead to good
governance.
INTRODUCTION

• Administrative reforms are not always welcome.

• “The innovator makes enemies of all those who prosper under the old
order and only lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would
prosper under the new.” (Caiden)
• Moreover, it can take generations for administrative behaviour and
values to change appreciably.
INTRODUCTION

• It is a long-term process that requires talent, zeal and commitment,

scarce resources, and, above all, time, whereas governments tend to
look for short-term and quick solutions.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E F O R M S

• It entails a thorough reconstruction of the machinery of the government

which, in effect, means a complete or partial overhauling of the
prevalent administrative structure that appears to have lost momentum
in the changed circumstances.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E F O R M S

• It aims at systematic transformation and not piecemeal change,

permanent alternations, and not cosmetic touches in the structure,
territorial organization, budget management, planning process, and
personnel practices to reduce corruption, incompetence, and red tape.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E F O R M S

• The different sectors and programs are rationalized and reorganized for
more effective performance and, finally, the machinery of the
government is simplified and streamlined to eliminate unnecessary
duplication and reduce inconveniences.
N E E D F O R A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

• In India, during imperial rule, the core purpose of administration was to

bolster colonialism where people's interests were peripheral, if not
absent.
• Hence administrative reforms had a single priority of perpetuating the
British rule.
N E E D F O R A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

• With independence, the nature and spirit of administration were bound

to be radically different since its moral foundation had undergone
dramatic changes.
• The colonial public administration was ill-suited to the needs and
aspirations of the people of independent India.
N E E D F O R A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

• Reasons:

• The bureaucrats who were brought up and trained in the colonial

administrative culture were wedded to the Weberian characteristics of
hierarchy, status, and rigidity of rules and regulations and were
concerned mainly with the enforcement of an order and collection of
revenues.
• This was not fit for the newly-born country --- geared for development.
N E E D F O R A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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• The role of officials changed.

• Their sole objective was now to “emphasise results rather than

procedures, teamwork rather than hierarchy and status, [and] flexibility
and decentralisation rather control and authority.”

• However, the Indian administration was slow to adopt these changes.

N E E D F O R A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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• It was both structurally inadequate and functionally unprepared for the

changing socio-political circumstances.
• According to the Secretariat Reorganization Committee (1947), the
‘unresponsive nature’ of the administration was simply ‘incapable’ of
handling the ‘new challenges’ in the aftermath of the British
withdrawal.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

(A) In his in-depth study of the Indian administration in 1953, Paul

Appleby suggested radical reforms of the administrative structure that
was ‘archaic’, ‘feudalistic’, and ‘unimaginative’, and hence was simply
inadequate to fulfill the primary goal of a nation ‘with a long history of
colonialism.’
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

• Appleby suggested some structural changes like:

(a) The creation of middle-level functionaries and the recruitment of more

executives at all levels.
(b) A more flexible system of recruitment to meet particular needs and
requirements.

(c) The setting up of panels of qualified persons in place of the existing

practice of selecting individuals.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(d) Arranging refresher courses for the serving personnel.

(e) Setting up of an Organization and Management division in each
department to monitor the work and;
(f) Finding ways to improve administration through specialised studies
and reviews undertaken by the Institute of Public Administration.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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• Critical for the Ministry of Finance to centralize powers and not

delegate them to operational Ministries.
• Also critical of growing corruption within the ranks of the public
administration.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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• The later efforts at administrative reform appear to have focused more

on structural changes believed to be crucial in radically altering the
inherent ideological foundation of the Indian public administration.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

(B) The Second Pay Commission (1957-59) is illustrative here. The

Commission was appointed in 1957.
• The primary task of the Commission was to examine ‘the principles’
that needed to govern ‘the structure of emoluments and conditions of
service’ of central government employees.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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• The Commission suggested the classification of government offices

into ‘attached’ and ‘subordinate’ on a functional basis and bringing the
relevant secretariat and its attached offices under ‘a single headquarters
organization.’
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(C) The growing corruption in then administration led to the appointment

of the Santhanam Committee, in 1964, which looked into the problem of
administrative corruption. Its recommendations were largely procedural
in the sense that the roots of corruption lay in the violation of established
systems and procedures.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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• Its path-breaking recommendation was the creation of the Central

Vigilance Commission as a permanent administrative wing to keep a
sustained vigil on civil servants.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(D) The most comprehensive inquiry ever undertaken in the aftermath of

decolonisation was the Administrative Reforms Commission which came
into being in 1966 under the stewardship of Morarji Desai.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

• The Commission was constituted keeping the following in mind:

(i) The changing nature of administration -- from a mere law and order
maintenance agency to an apparatus responsible for development --
radically altered the traditional conception of administration.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(ii) The ideological goal of a socialist pattern of society called for drastic
overhauling of the machinery of the government that had so far
discharged the responsibility in a very stereotypical manner.
• Thus, the Commission sought to redefine public administration by
recognizing the importance of the ‘public’ in administration.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

• The Commission was entrusted with a 41-point charter, grouped into 10

specific areas of inquiry which were as follows:
(a) the machinery of the Government of India and its procedures of work;

(b) the machinery for planning at all levels;

(c) centre state relationships;

(d) financial administration;

(e) personnel administration;

AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(f) economic administration;

(g) administration at the state levels;
(h) district administration;
(i) agricultural administration; and
(j) problem of redressal of citizens grievances.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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Recommendations of ARC:
1) Maximum strength of 45 for the Central Cabinet. Also, provided a
checklist of what the Prime Minister should do. Act as a guide,
coordinator, and supervisor.
2) Minister-secretary relationship -- critical of ‘neutrality’ in the civil
service. The ARC supported a bureaucracy that clearly upheld the
political will of the country, as articulated by the Prime Minister and
his Cabinet.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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3) A rational system needs to be devised for recruitment to policy-making

positions with personnel possessing the required qualifications and
competence. This involves the optimum use of different services for
secretariat assignments and the adoption of special measures to build
necessary specialization in the secretariat.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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4) Senior management personnel must be selected from all relevant

sources -- generalists and specialists -- and for this purpose, talent needs
to be discovered and developed in all the services, especially among
those who have not so far been inducted into higher management
positions in the secretariat to any significant degree.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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5) A rational pay structure -- to boost the morale in the civil service --

climbing up the hierarchy based on competence and performance.
6) Appointment of a Lokpal (at the center) and a Lokayukta (in the states)
apart from the introduction of the concept and techniques of performance
budgeting.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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• Criticism of ARC Report:

 instead of radically altering the structure, was favorably inclined

towards mere ‘cosmetic’ changes within the administration.
Administrative reforms cannot occur in the absence of political
reforms.
 despite being voluminous but not so illuminating, was hardly effective
in substantially transforming the Indian administration which had, for
obvious reasons, colonial roots.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

• Between ARC in 1966 and the inauguration of the Fifth Pay Commission
in 1997, there were no major committees except for three isolated
attempts:
 In the competitive exam, introduce the preliminary tier of examination.

 To revitalize the Panchayati Raj system of governance at the grassroots by

converting the 3-tier structure into a 2-tier structure (Mehta committee,
1979) which contributed significantly to the adoption of the 73rd
Amendment Act in 1992.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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 To change the system of economic administration (Jha Committee,

1986). The Commission submitted several reports that advocated for
the rationalisation and modernization of the economic administrative
system to pave the way for a new economic order.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
REFORMS

(E) Commission on Centre-State Relations 1983:

• The Commission was set up under the chairmanship of Sh. R.S
Sarkaria. Its term of reference was to examine and review the working
of the existing arrangements between the union and states with regard
to powers, functions, and responsibilities in all spheres and make
recommendations, as to the changes and measures needed.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(F) Conference of Chief Secretaries 1996:

• A Conference of Chief Secretaries of the States and Union territories
was 134 Commissions organized by the Department of Administrative
Reforms and Public Grievances (AR and PG) on 20 November 1996.
The focus of the Conference was on having an accountable, open, and
citizen-friendly government, and on improving the performance and
integrity of the public services. The follow-up actions of the Conference
include:
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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1) Setting up of an inter-ministerial working group on Right to

Information and Transparency.

2) Constituting an expert group to look into the computerization of HRM

and public services.

3) Formulation of citizen’s charters by all ministries with public interface.

4) Steps to enhance timely disposal of departmental inquiries and
vigilance proceedings.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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5) Developing grievance redressal machinery.

6) Initiating civil service reforms, especially, in matters of transfers and

promotions in the Centre as well as States.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(G) Chief Minister’s Conference 1997:

• In pursuance of the action plan of the Conference of Chief Secretaries,

a national debate was generated to elicit opinions from the wider
domain that included officials, experts, voluntary agencies, media,
academia, and citizen groups.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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The Action Plan had three components:

1) Making government accountable and citizen-friendly.

2) Transparency and Right to Information in governance.

3) Improving the performance and integrity of the public services.

 AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(H) Hota Committee (2004)

• It was constituted to bring civil service reforms as it considered that there
are certain lacunae in recruitment, lack of efficiency and accountability
and there is no domain expertise.
• It recommended that greater emphasis should be placed on objective
assessment against agreed work plans.
• Moreover, domain assignments should be introduced for civil servants to
encourage the acquisition of skills, professional excellence, and career
planning.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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(I) Second Administrative Reforms Commission 2005:

• Chairperson Sh. Veerapa Moily headed it along with three
members and a member secretary.
• Mandate: The Commission was given the mandate to suggest
measures to achieve a proactive, responsive, accountable,
sustainable, and efficient administration for the country at all
government levels.
AT T E M P T S AT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E
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• The Commission has presented the 15 Reports to the Government for

consideration.
• These reports dealt with various topics like the right to information as a
tool to achieve good governance, ethics in governance, local
governance, promoting e-governance, citizen-centric administration,
strengthening financial management systems, etc.
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E F O R M S I N T H E
C O N T E X T O F G L O B A L I Z AT I O N

• In the context of globalization, the recent conceptualization of 'e-

governance or digital governance' is significant in administrative
reforms. Drawn on the latest information and communication
technology e-governance aims to open up government processes and
enable greater public access to information. The "Information
Technology - Action Plan" is an ambitious program to help in
governance and development in many ways.
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E F O R M S I N T H E
C O N T E X T O F G L O B A L I Z AT I O N

• The administration in general and the district administration

in particular have undergone a sea change in recent times. The
'SMART' governance and the electronic governance assumed
more prominence to usher in administrative justice in the
country.
• Various issues pertinent to the people have been taken up and
awareness among the rural masses has been created.
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E F O R M S I N T H E
C O N T E X T O F G L O B A L I Z AT I O N

• The civil servant being an instrument of the state has to be at

the forefront of the efforts to manage globalisation. The
multinationals' challenge is before the civil servants as to
how to localize globally and globalize locally through value-
based and citizen-centric service delivery.
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E F O R M S I N T H E
C O N T E X T O F G L O B A L I Z AT I O N

• The latest in the government-citizen relationship is the concept

of the Citizen’s Charter. Democracy demands that the citizens’
voices be heard and taken note of in the delivery of services to
him/her, particularly if those services are rendered by
government agencies. In fact, the parameters of services need
to be defined according to the requirements of the citizens.
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E R E F O R M S I N T H E
C O N T E X T O F G L O B A L I Z AT I O N

• Under the Charter, the citizens have been brought at the

centre of all government activities changing the prevalent
concept of treating citizens as passive recipients of
government service.
CONCLUSION