THE CURIOUS CASE OF BABUDUM IN INDIA

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BABUDUM IN INDIA

             By an unknown author subscribed on email: 

Who is Defense Secretary and what is his accountability...??

 The whole of India is being fooled . Constantly we are taken on a ride to nowhere by these all-powerful Babus. Even the politicians are vulnerable, but never our IAS Babus . 

Maj Gen Joshi was an esteemed instructor. He spent most of his time with the DRDO. He was commissioned in Jun 1960 and was in the Eastern sector during the 1962 debacle. He has analyzed the event very systematically, and his study reveals the following :

Pt Nehru, the architect of modern India suffered a severe stroke of depression from which he never quite recovered. He died in May 1964 at the comparatively young age of 73.

VK Krishna Menon was removed from the post of Raksha Mantri for his incorrect assessment of the situation.

Gen Thapar, the COAS was sacked. The careers of Lt Gen Kaul and scores of other military officers took a "U" turn.

A few thousand soldiers died; many more were wounded and some were taken prisoners.

The psyche of the country received a severe blow. It was considered as a 'National Shame.'

The question he asked me was, "Who was the Defence Secretary? And what was the punishment meted out to him?"

I have asked several friends and also surfed the Internet but I am unable to find an answer. In all probability nothing was done to him, because he had no role in this!

Gen Joshi then took this discussion a step further. He observed that during the attack on Taj, Mumbai, dozens of soldiers and policemen were killed. The whole nation was shaken. Mr Shivraj Patil had lost his prestigious job. The CM of Maharashtra had been axed and several heads in the government rolled. Can some one tell us as to what action has been taken against the Union Home Secretary or the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra? (Thomas tells me that they will all be "promoted" soon though he does not know why).

Having spent many years in and around the South Block, I marvel at the way our government has been structured. The Civil Servants rule the roost. In terms of promotions and status they are ahead of every one else by miles. They are central in the Pay Commission and the Cabinet Secretary is involved in every major decision making process. Yet, when things go wrong, they wash their hands off so clean that one wonders how !!!!

A slightly closer examination reveals the secret. I have figured it out this way: They never do anything themselves. They always find some one else to be the head, and they know how to reduce him to be a 'figure head'. (In the Pay Commissions, they have a retired Judge).
However they place themselves in a spot which has the maximum opportunity to influence matters.

After the event, they never face the Press or the Media. Their role is amorphous. The senior amongst them rarely sign a letter or order. Our pension letter is signed by a Director, who is not directly recruited as IAS officer. Only rarely do you find a paper signed by a Joint Secretary. Officers above that level do not sign any document.

They have a strong association. It protects the interests of its members dutifully and diligently. So we have our Defence Headquarters
in which the postings, promotions, rewards and punishments of all senior officers are controlled by the civil servants; and they also have the final say in the process of procurement of weapons and eqpt, but they are not "responsible" if things go wrong! It is authority without responsibility. (For those who may not know, a lowly officer in the MoD can have a Deputy Chief posted out, but a Service Chief can not get even a Desk Officer moved)

When Gen Joshi left, I found myself perplexed. What sort of system have we evolved? And how has it survived all these years? It is a bit like a unit in which the clerks are running the unit and the CO is so dependent on the Head Clerk that he can not move without their help!

Can some one give a cogent answer to the questions raised by Gen Joshi?

Howsoever optimistic one may be in saying that nothing is impossible, there is one thing which is impossible and that is to change the bureaucratic system. You will need them in all contingencies viz Democracy... Emergency... Dictatorship !!!

The answer to the question posed as to how has it survived all these years is....

It is CAMARADERIE as defined in the unwritten dictionary of IAS..

A soldier would lay down his life for his comrades, but bureaucrat will take the life of even an innocent to shield others of his own ilk .

It is the same story round the world especially in democracies. USA is no better
The babus are way ahead of the rest of us They have out-thought and outflanked all comers (enemies they would seem to suggest who strive to bring the babu to book) !

Remarks in preceding mails are more of the masala nature, not really serious and without suggesting a way to actually book erring babus or hold them accountable

One of the 'forward defences' they have erected is via the ARCs (Admin. Reforms Commission), something most may not have heard of or gone into detail of This process/ body (now in its 15th iteration), has all its reports signed by Senior Government Ministers (Politicians). The huge volume of its reports are a veritable minefield (to use a defence convention) for those approaching the babu to tweak his/ her ear.

See how even a single iteration (the10th ARC) merrily extending its term and time available for (essentially) gobbledygook - never to be implemented but merely voluminous for those approaching reform to trip over/ get blown up. Constituted in 2005 and given a generous 2 years till 2007 to submit its report, ARC 10 got an unbelievable extension of time by 3 years to complete submission of what is in essence verbiage (never to be read much less implemented).

See how time is "made relative/ inconsequential" in pages viii to xi of link
http://arc.gov.in/10th/ARC_10thReport_preface_contents.pdf

Pages 274 to 276 of the actual report (available at link below) show that they have "applied their minds" to bury reforms forever as none of what they report and suggest has been implemented in the 9 years since. Of course concrete and time bound steps are never suggested (much less taken) - probably to constitute more Commissions ad infinitum.