Relationship between the Political executive and Civil Servants.

In India, the relationship between political executive and civil servants is based on the principle of civil service anonymity and ministerial responsibility. The power is exercised through elected representatives who hold ministers accountable and in turn, civil servants are accountable to Ministers.It is a combination of lay politician and politically neutral and permanent civil servants. They are both engaged in policy-making. Thus, civil servants and Ministers work together.

Areas of potential conflict :-

1.Violation of neutrality principle: Many civil servants are seen as affiliated to one or the other political party.
2.Advisory role of civil servants in policy making: Civil servants have to make a trade-off between opposing goals such as long-term social payoffs versus short term political gain for the political executive.
3.Interference in the statutory roles of the civil servants: Senior functionaries, both in the civil services as well as elected representatives, put pressure on civil servants, which leads to friction between them.
4.Principle of subsidiarity is not followed: By this principle power should be delegated, but due to ministerial responsibility, there is an increasing tendency in government departments to centralize authority and interfere in decision making.
5.Appointments/Transfers and postings of civil servants: Arbitrary and questionable methods of appointments, promotions and transfers of officers by political superiors also leads to corrosion of the moral basis of independence of civil servants.

An attempt should be made to maintain a healthy working relationship between Ministers and civil servants as it is critical for good governance because of the following reasons:

1.Efficient utilisation of limited resources is possible only if civil servants are able to give objective and impartial advice to their Ministers without the peril of being humiliated or penalized.
2.Effective implementation: Implementation is the achilles heel for Indian administrative system. If political-will gets combined with civil servant’s determination, outcomes of the schemes would be on expected lines.
3.Rapid socio-economic development: Ease of doing business and smooth economic activities can be ensured by integrity and coordination on part of civil servants and ministers.
4.Less instances of policy failure: Public policy cycle is continuous and requires close cooperation between the prerogative of political executive and expertise of permanent executives.
5.Achievement of strategic national priorities will need trust and good working relationship between the two and upholding of constitutional values. It will also act as a unifying force in vast and culturally diverse nation such as ours.

The relationship between ministers and civil servants should be one of mutual dependence. The parliamentary democracy shall flourish only if both ministers and civil servants endeavour to understand each other's point of view, objectives and requirements.The political- administrative relationship remains intrinsically important as well as fascinating. There is not only the question of the balance of capacities and influence between the two groups but also of the nature of their influence upon each other. If there is to be a satisfactory balance in democracies between politicians and administrators, continuous attention must be paid to the recruitment and training of both groups.
Thus, steps such as establishing autonomous board for appointment, postings and transfer of civil servants, clear division of responsibility, adopting framework in which responsibility and accountability is well defined etc. should be undertaken.

By: Harman Sandhu