Civil Servants

Former civil servants condemn Rijiju's remarks on judiciary in open letter

Former civil servants in an open letter on Thursday criticised Law Minister Kiren Rijiju for several of his comments which, they said, constituted a concerted attack by the government on the collegium system of appointments and on judicial independence. The open letter, signed by 90 former bureaucrats, argued that preserving the independence of the judiciary is non-negotiable, and any sign of executive overreach cannot be accepted in a democracy. "We write to you today in response to comments you made on various occasions and very recently at the India Today Conclave on March 18, 2023. Your statements that day are the latest in what is emerging as a concerted attack by the government on the collegium system of appointments, the Supreme Court of India and, ultimately, on judicial independence. We unequivocally condemn this onslaught," the letter said. In the appointment of judges to the High Courts and Supreme Court it appears that it is the government that is stonewalling ...

Rishi Sunak pledges major civil service overhaul if elected UK PM

Rishi Sunak, the British Indian former Chancellor in the race to be elected the British Prime Minister, on Tuesday pledged a major overhaul of the country's civil service to create a sharper, leaner bureaucracy if he takes charge at 10 Downing Street on September 5. Sunak, who is up against Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the Conservative Party leadership election to succeed Boris Johnson, wants civil servants to spend at least a year of their career outside government roles in industry to widen their experience. Under a Sunak-led government, they will no longer receive pay rewards based on the longevity of their service but performance instead. As Chancellor, I saw parts of the British Civil Service at its best, delivering world class COVID support schemes in record time. But the bloated post-COVID state is in need of a shake up so I will create a sharper, leaner civil service, said Sunak. I'll press ahead with cuts to back office Civil Service headcount, recruiting and retaining t

Microsoft, govt plan to train 2.5 mn civil servants in computer skills

Programme will help officials in providing last-mile services to underprivileged sections of society

Over 100 ex-bureaucrats urge PM Modi to call for end to 'politics of hate'

Over 100 ex-civil servants have written to PM Modi with a hope that he will call for an end to what they termed as "politics of hate" allegedly practised "assiduously" by governments under BJP

Adopt 'nation-first' approach to decision making: PM Modi to civil servants

Emphasising a "nation-first" approach to decision-making, PM Modi said there cannot be any compromise on the unity and integrity of the country

PM Modi urges civil servants to work for 'Nation First, India First'

On the occasion of Civil Services Day, PM Narendra Modi during his address today highlighted that it is important to know global problems and focus on playing a leadership role in solving them

'Reform, perform, transform': PM Modi's mantra to trainee civil servants

Urging trainee civil servants to focus on the 'biggest goal of the 21st century' Aatmnirbhar Bharat and Modern India, PM Modi asked them to 'reform, perform and transform' to the next level.

While politicians can lose their jobs, no other public servant can

What is it about our structure of governance that impedes governments?

Working in wonderland

A govt employee is invulnerable. The chances of being dismissed for non-performance are the same as the chance of being caught for travelling without a ticket on the Bombay suburban trains

Meet Alapan Bandyopadhyay, a 'good boy' in the Centre's bad books

Bandyopadhyay was recently in the midst of a political storm. At the heart of the controversy is a review meeting by PM Modi for which Bandyopadhyay and CM Mamata Banerjee arrived late

How social context influences human behaviour

Many crises are leadership failures rather than technical ones. Leaders focus so intently on an agenda that they fail to factor in their team's social context

T V Somanathan named finance secy in place of Ajay Bhushan Pandey

Pandey superannuated in February this year

From Andhra Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh, state bureaucracy becomes top heavy

The bloated numbers at the top have reduced the efficiency of state administrations, both for maintaining law and order and to have development works reach the people

Fewer bureaucrats opting for Centre at senior management grades, shows data

It has been matched with an explosion in the number of officers of the same cadres posted to the states.

Best of BS Opinion: Epochal transition, a non-violent 'toolkit' & more

Here's a selection of Business Standard opinion pieces for the day

Trifurcate the IAS to reform it

The bureaucracy generally, and the IAS particularly, need deep reform, writes T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan

100 former civil servants raise questions on transparency in PM-Cares Fund

The civil servants wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

J&K Civil Secretariat staff to mark attendance via facial recognition setup

The use of the biometric attendance system, which requires people to put a finger on the surface of the scanner, was suspended after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March this year

Take action against Sudarshan TV, former civil servants urge Amit Shah

In a snowballing of the controversy over "UPSC Jihad", 91 former civil servants have written to Amit Shah and Prakash Javadekar seeking legal and administrative action against Sudarshan New TV channel

A civil servant and an expert? Not enough. Govt is looking for leaders

Officers are being assessed more for leadership role & ability to sell reforms to the outside world