Bureaucrazy Gets Crazier  (English, Paperback, Law M.K.)

Bureaucrazy Gets Crazier: IAS Unmasked offers an insiders view of how the civil service works. It is a witty and scathing account of a service that is supposed to serve the public.

Summary Of The Book

The Indian Civil Service started out as powerful administrative postings by the British government to implement its policies in its Indian Dominions. These British civil servants had the might of the empire behind them to enforce their rules. They were a privileged community, the ruling community of Colonial India. They did not have to justify their actions to ministers or other authorities.

When Indians started entering the ICS, the author says they began behaving like caricatures of the British administrative officers. When the ICS became the IAS, the author says that the situation became worse, the civil servants became copy of a copy.

When India became independent, there was an intricate political and administrative structure. The elected ministers devised the policies and rules, and the IAS officers were vested with the responsibility of implementing those policies.

Bureaucrazy Gets Crazier: IAS Unmasked says that with lessened responsibilities came reduced accountability. As any decision had the potential to cause trouble at a future date, responsibility avoidance became the prime motivator in the functioning of the administrative officers. To avoid being held responsible, it was a practice to take decisions by committee says the author. Passing the buck became the main game, as the administrative officers viewed any decision taken as a risk incurred, a potential threat to their power and position.

The officers also discovered that it is best to choose a godfather among the political bosses and stick to them like leeches. The book even says that a complex system of multiple godfathers serves best, some in politics, some in the administrative service and a few in the business world.

Bureaucrazy Gets Crazier: IAS Unmasked is a tongue-in-cheek look at the inside workings of the Indian Administrative Service. The book was originally published in 1993. This is an updated version, taking into account recent developments.

About M. K. Kaw

Maharaj Krishen Kaw is a retired IAS officer.

He is also the author of An Outsider Everywhere: Revelations By An Insider, Kashmir and Its People, and Kashmiri Pandits: Looking to the Future.

Maharaj Krishen Kaw was born in Kashmir in 1941. After passing his civil services exams, he was inducted into the Himachal Pradesh cadre. He has served in several high positions in the state including Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Education Secretary. He has also held positions in the Central Government administrative service. He has been Secretary, Human Resource Development and Secretary, Civil Aviation. After retirement, he was for a time the Dean of Shri Sathya Sai International Centre for Human Values.