H. Role of Civil Services in the Post-Liberalization era in India
- Shift from “Licence Raj”: Liberalization aimed to remove unnecessary controls, restrictions, and bureaucratic hurdles, enabling industrial and business enterprises to work smoothly and contribute to economic and social development.
- Facilitator, coordinator, and catalyzer of change: Civil services play a crucial role in the liberalized economy by:
- Integrating India with the global economy and enabling aggressive participation.
- Transitioning from an over-extended, inefficient public sector to a focused one, addressing core functions like defense, health, and education.
- Ensuring well-functioning markets and allowing a more efficient private sector to drive growth.
- Encouraging entrepreneurship and providing ease of doing business and easy exit (e.g., bankruptcy laws for risk-taking and new ventures).
- Local governments: 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments aimed to enable rural and urban local governments to become self-governing institutions, but progress remains slow. Fundamental changes are required at the district level.
- Collaboration with civil society organizations and private sector: Civil servants should view these entities as partners in governance, recognizing their increased role in service provision and advocacy for better governance.
Examples:
- The 1991 economic reforms liberalized the Indian economy, reducing regulations, and allowing more foreign investments. Civil servants played a vital role in facilitating these changes.
- Civil servants have contributed to the implementation of various schemes to promote entrepreneurship, such as the Start-Up India initiative, which supports innovation and start-up culture.
- Public-private partnerships (PPP) in infrastructure development, such as the Delhi Metro project, exemplify the collaboration between the public sector and private players, facilitated by civil servants.
- The Right to Information Act (2005) is an example of increased transparency and accountability in governance, which civil servants have been responsible for implementing and upholding.