Role of Bureaucracy in India
India is a democratic country. Here the administrative government is chosen by the process of voting. We have a government which is run by the people, for the people and of the people. The ruling party then allots different heads as ministers. They run different departments of government.
The working period of these ministers changes with the change in Government. The Government changes after every five years. But the team that works under them never changes. They have a permanent job at their ports.
Ministers are generally not experts in their fields to run the department. They need help to run their departments. Here is where the concept of civil servants comes into picture. The civil servants or the bureaucrats help them to run the department. They help it to function in a smooth and efficient manner.
So bureaucrats are the professional experts of their fields. They oversee the concerned department. Obviously the last say in all decisions is of the ministers of the department. But they are the one who work to draft policies and strategies according to the projects.
So actually they are the backbone of the Government. These civil servants have a tenure period which is fixed by the constitution. Their position does not change like the ministers. So they have great knowledge and expertise of their fields.
The government changes after every five years in India and so do the ministers also. But it is because of these bureaucrats that the concerned departments keep on functioning without any hurdles. They run the administrative machinery smoothly.
They are the ones who are the handling administrative machinery of our country. They are intellectual learned men who have great experience. They are experts in their fields and know each and every policy. They are well aware of its implication and implementation also.
They advice the ministers for the welfare of the country. The inexperienced ministers can only work with the help of brains of civil servants.
These civil servants are the actual power behind the government. The top bureaucrats plan different policies for the country. The experience they gain through working comes in handy at the time of policy formation.
This is when we need their services the most. Nobody knows their department more than them. Without their help, it would be impossible for the departments to function.
They handle all the sensitive information about the projects. This information is unavailable to many. At times, the schemes are formulated by the ministers in view of the political agenda. At those times, bureaucrats are the ones who work on and review the minor details.
They are also held responsible for handling the detailed information. Also they are only supposed to execute and implement the policies. This is why they are also called as political executives.
In a democratic country like India, the need of honest bureaucrats is more important. When there is no political maturity in politicians, their role increases. This is because their selfless devotion safeguards the best interests of democracy. It helps them to combat the inexperienced administrative political leadership.
They can keep the politicians in tow by carrying out their actions honestly in their tenure. They should establish an example of workmanship.
Actually it is only bureaucrats who can check the dictatorship of the government. This is because they are the people behind formulating and implementing different policies. They do not work at the forefront but they remain hidden from the public eyes. They silently carry out their tasks.
For example, when the government is elected, sometimes the ruling party becomes extremist. It becomes their ideology that the common man has lost his power for five years. They think that the common man can do nothing to turn down the power of the government. In such cases the extremist party can implement extreme policies. These are not beneficial for the common man.
The extremist parties are clouded with the power they have received. But what they don’t realize is that the power has been given to them by the Indians only. And they can very well take those powers back, if the need arises. At that time the bureaucrat’s functionality increases.
It is only them who can moderate such extreme policies. They can weaken such malicious programmers which are not beneficial for the citizens. They can also halt the strengthening of the extremist powers. They have the ability to provide proper feedback. Also, they advise the government on important matters so that it functions properly. They have a very productive role in the system actually.
Bureaucrats have a very strong mindset. They have the ability to think straight in even the toughest of situations. Their decision making power and intellectual ability differentiates them from commoners. Bureaucrats do not get influenced by the pressure inflicted upon them.
Honest bureaucrats do not bend to the whims and fancies of political parties. They work diligently for benefit of the country, people and the department they belong to. The constitution of India also safeguards the freedom of bureaucrats. It is enlisted in Articles 309 to 312. This is done so that their opinions are never suppressed. They should be allowed to put forth their views without any hurdle.
The existence of bureaucrats is essential for the running of the country. But it is more important that they should not be biased to any political pressure or authority. The position of bureaucrats in India is far better as compared to other countries. This is because the constitution of India protects their rights.
Also, they should work without any traces of prejudice, bias and discrimination. This way they can fairly serve the country for what they have been entrusted upon. They should make good use of their knowledge to take decisions in the best interests of the citizens. Bureaucrats are the saviors of society.
They are the reason for the intrinsic cleaning and development of society. So the role that a bureaucrat plays in the society is much larger than that of a political leader or guru.