By Arun Bajpai

It is common knowledge that in any type of Government but especially in a democracy, the public (aam aadmi) has to deal only with the babudom of that country. It is to the babudom of India that the democratically elected Government conveys its policy decisions which this babudom has to implement. Unfortunately in India, with no educational qualifications laid down for an Indian neta to become a parliamentarian under the Indian Constitution , and the manner in which these educational degrees are being obtained by fictitious means by our netas and in some cases netas themselves honestly depicting their educational qualifications as ‘matric’ or ‘below matric’ no neta dares to annoy the babus who actually run the Government. The Chief Vigilance Commissioner of India N Vitthal had rightly stated some time back that in India a babu is more corrupt than a neta because the janta every five years can throw out a neta by not electing him but is powerless against a babu who can continue to be corrupt for 30-32 years of his service period.

In India babudom comprises the central services of IAS, IPS, IFS and IRS and the state services of PCS and PPS. If we just look at the web site of Training and Implementation Department, Government of India on how their IAS service is performing on corruption , it tells you that 10 IAS serving officers are in jail for corruption , Indian Government has sent home 129 IAS officers for being dead wood and inefficient, 66 Ex IAS officers are in jail for corruption and other offences and Government has been informed that 100 of their IAS officers have property worth 800 corers. World Bank in their recent survey found that in India in the trucking business, senior IPS officers and their subordinate police officers are earning more than 222 cores yearly through corruption along the New Delhi-Mumbai route. Two days extra are being taken on transportation because of this corruption. Truth is that in Indian babudom, corruption has become organised and institutionalised.

Today Indian babudom is seen in the world as the most corrupt and ever ready to put obstructions in the path of anything happening smoothly. Nearly 12 years ago the Supreme Court had directed all governments of centre and states to implement reforms suggested by it in the police force. It needs to be remembered that Indian Police Act is the true copy of 1861 Police Act of the British Colonial era and now in Independent India it should have been changed to make police people friendly. However, no Government either in Centre or states have implemented these reforms in true spirit. They all have done lip service to the issue and closed the matter because it is not suited to neta’s and babus of India and the vast powers they enjoy.

Similarly, the Civil Service Code 1947, which governs the rules of functioning of IAS, were framed during the British era of 1919 and this 1947 code is a true copy of 1919 Civil Services Code. This shows the bankruptcy of ideas of those who framed these rules. At least they should have modified this code to the conditions prevailing in independent India. This was not done. So, these babus enjoy unlimited powers which they misuse for personal purposes every now and again. How do you justify the fact that even if a Babu is caught red handed doing something wrong including corruption, he cannot be proceeded against without an ‘OK’ by the Government? Why?

Currently the elections for electing the 17th Lok Sabha are going on. If you read the election manifesto of any political party, none is saying that they will improve functioning of 1.70 crore babudom of India which are just Central Government services. The second Administrative report on reforms of the bureaucracy in India is lying in cold storage. In the neta -babu nexus in the country the slogan is khao aur khaane do (eat and let others eat) If Indian politicians really care for the people who vote for them then then they must make the Services Selection Board as applicable to Armed Forces, compulsory for civil services also with necessary modifications. It is necessary to know the psychological mindset of the new entrants. Every babu must be forced to give yearly update of his property, if he does not, then his services should be terminated. Babus must have separate rules of employment and should have separate fast track courts to decide their cases within six months’ time. No lingering on for ages.

This babudom which is so corrupt today must be made accountable and clean if future Governments in India want administration to be good and responsive. SAB CHALTA HAI WILL NOT DO ANYMORE BECAUSE PUBLIC HAS BECOME VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE.

( The writer is a retired Brigadier and can be reached at [email protected])