Notes-Class 8-Civics-Chapter-6-Bureaucracy-Maharashtra Board

Introduction :

Posts like District Collector, Municipal Commissioner, Finance Secretary, and Divisional Commissioner are civil servants in the government's administrative system, working for the welfare of the people.

Bureaucracy :

• It is the administrative system which works under the Union Executive, providing civil services to people functions with the help of civil servants or bureaucrats. Hence the system is known as Bureaucracy.
• They have the responsibility of actual implementation of government's policies.

Fundamental functions of the government:

In any country, the government carries out two fundamental types of functions.

• To defend the country from external aggression and internal threats. The function of ensuring security to the country is carried out by 'Armed Forces’.
• To provide various services to make citizen's lite comfortable, which will enable them to develop themselves and the society. Various services are provided to the citizens by civil services.

Representatives and Administrative Officers:

• Administration is the responsibility of representatives elected by the people and administrative officers in parliamentary democracy.
• As a representative of the people, the minister must carry out the work of his department while putting public welfare first.
• The department secretary provides expert advice to the minister.
• In the parliamentary system, people's aspirations and administrative expertise coexist.

Characteristics of Bureaucracy :

(1) Permanent Mechanism :

• Tax collection, environment protection, maintenance of law and order, provisions regarding social security are certain important tasks that have to be consistently undertaken by the bureaucracy.
• The Prime Minister and their Council of Ministers may change after every election, but the bureaucracy under their control remains constant.

(2) Political Neutrality :

• The Bureaucracy is expected to work with same efficiency and commitment regardless of the political party in power.
• It is expected to keep away from taking a political stand or act according to their political views.
• The governments may change from time to time and so does the policies, but the bureaucracy is expected to remain neutral while performing its duties.

(3) Anonymity :

• It means that a civil servant should not be held directly responsible for any success or failure of the policy.
• The minister is responsible for the efficient and smooth functioning of the concerned department.
• The Parliament holds the minister responsible for malpractices and inefficiency.
• The minister bears the responsibility and protects the bureaucracy.
• Anonymity is maintained about bureaucracy who gives advice to the ministers.

Significance of Indian Bureaucracy :

• Several important reforms introduced during the post-independence period have been effectively implemented by bureaucracy.
• It gives stability to the political system.
• Consistent civil services provided by the bureaucracy bring stability in the day-to-day life of the citizens.
• It has become an important instrument of social transformation.
• The laws enacted by the government for empowerment of women, child security, plans for the marginalized sections have been successfully implemented by the bureaucracy.
• It has played an important role in the democratisation of society.
• It has helped in bringing marginalised sections of society into mainstream by implementing the reservation policy effectively.

Types of civil services :

In India, there are three main types of civil services

• All-India Services : They include the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS).
• Union or Central Services : They come under the Union Government. They include Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS) etc.
• State Civil Services : They come under the State Government. They include Deputy District Collector, Block Development Officer, Tehsildar (Executive Magistrate) etc. They are recruited through competitive examinations held at the State-level.

Public Service Commission :

Functions :

• It is established to ensure that the civil servants are selected on the basis of merit and efficiency.
• This autonomous institution has been established by the Indian Constitution.
• To select appropriate candidates, the Commission (i) conducts exams (ii) decides eligibility criteria (iii) conducts interviews of candidates (iv) presents the list of selected candidates to the government and recommends them for recruitment.

Public Service Commission Types :

• Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) - conducts examinations for recruitment and appointment of candidates for All-India Services
• Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) — selects candidates and recommends them to the government to be recruited in the state administration.

Reservation policy for weaker sections :

• A part of the society comprising of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes,
• Women, Other Backward Castes and specially-abled is termed as the weaker section of the society.
• It was essential to empower these weaker sections. They were left out of civil services due to social inequality.
• In order to establish social justice and provide opportunities to weaker sections of the society, reservation policy is followed even in civil services.

Minister and Civil Servants :

• In Parliamentary democracy, the Executive is responsible for efficient governance of the country.
• The decisions relating to the concerned department are made by the minister-in-charge, but necessary information to make such decisions is given by the civil servants.
• The ministers are dependent on the civil servants for many reasons.
• Hence, coordination and mutual trust between the civil servants and ministers help in efficient functioning of the government.