Monday, September 30, 2019

In Depth Job Focus: Career in Public Policy By Dr. Rahila Sikandar Via Employment News


The concept of public policy generates from the paucity of resources and the identity concern.  It is generally made for the development of the under developed. It is made by the state for the ‘welfare of citizens’.  It comprises of political decisions and implementation for accomplishment of goals and welfare of the society. The objectives of these policies narrate about the plans and actions such as, what will be the achievement, who will be benefitted by the policy and what are the steps that needs to be taken for their accomplishment.

According to Dye, “Public Policy is whatever government chooses to do or not to do”. Public policy acts as the government action whereas it is also defined as consequences of the actions and decisions of the government. It is the study of government decisions and actions designed to deal with a matter of public concern. It comprises a plan of action or program and a statement of objective, in other words, a map and a destination. (Cochran and Malone, 2007). Thus, it can be understood that public policy is an act or action of the government for the growth, empowerment and social justice.

Public policy is also the outcome of the will of the citizens and governmental decisions. This also helps to locate what is good and best for the general welfare of the society. Addressing the issue of inequality, caste, gender, equity, education, employment and vice versa,
government must perform the social justice to all and not to a few sections of the society. And that one section cannot become the free rider of the society, to control these free riders and to stop exploitation of the poor and for the equal welfare of the society more and more public policies are made so that the society may become more equitable and  just.

 The adoption and implementation of public policies are helpful in making the country rise from its social and development issues.It creates a link between the government and its citizens and also breeds a relation of mutual accountability and responsibility.The process of Public Policy making includes a wide variety of features like problem that needs to be addressed, design of the policy, financial aspects and tools for the policy needed for the achievement of its goal, keeping in mind the general and social interest of the citizens. 

 These policies and programes must bring capabilities so that citizen benefitted with these may lead a good life. The current need is a new thinking in policy making and implementation including the cross edge and cross traditional approach to the dynamics of public policy. Learning public policy helps to understand about the challenges that the country faces. It helps to disseminate the old welfare policies and programmes, and bring new policies and programmes by understanding the changing problems and issues of the citizens, their economy, environment, national and international issues etc. leading to a progressive move. Some of the Public Policies of the Central Government like MNREGA, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, National Drug Policies, National Water Policies, Higher Education Policies, Reservation Policies, National Mineral Policies, and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana etc. are the examples of human develpment policies.

Ethics and Public Policy:
Knowledge of ethics helps policy makers to understand and follow what to do and what not to do in formulating public policies and later at implementation stages.  It is basically the moral justification of what to follow and what not to follow for the betterment of the society. 

Career in Public Policy & its Scope:
Public Policy was introduced late in academia especially in country like India. With a degree or diploma in Public Policy one is prepared to enter in numerous areas in government and in private organisations and many other domains where the main purpose of the government is to get innovative and advanced ideas and to make them fruitful for the development of the country and by and large to its people. 

Public Policy helps comprehend the challenges faced by the state and its people. Studying and making career in public policy opens up many options for scholars in the areas such as, research and development, teaching, career in think tanks and independent research centres, Non-governmental organization etc. The scope of the public policy is not limited to the above, it is further expanding.

Research and Development:
Many national and international organisations are involved in research and development activities, thus advanced research in public policy is an open option for making career in public policy. Many independent research centres are conducting research activities and offer a promising career.

Teaching:
Ph.D. is the foremost requirement to get into teaching. ‘Public Policy’ is one of the sought after course in Indian varsities. Universities and institutes train students into it and some provide them placements. They may also get appointed as lecturers and professors in various public and private universities. Now it is also being adopted by the management institutes in India including the premier one like IIM’s, ISB etc.

In Government Sector:
There are number of activities which involve Public Policy with Public Administration, Political Science, Administration, Law, Management, International Relations, Geography, Economics, Science, Maths, Statistics, Environment, Social Sciences and other related subjects. There are many more upcoming opportunities in state and central government which are involved in urban planning and rural planning and require a public policy scientist in the above areas.

Management and Public Policy:
 It helps the managers to make policies in organisation so that the capacity building and the capability of the employees enhances, and it also makes them understand how to manage and cope with the financial and human resource polices in their organisations. It also trains them to become resilient during the time of stress and to provide better ideas to relieve from the pressure.

Public Administration and Public Policy:
It empowers the public administrators to understand public policies in a much more thoughtful manner. This also helps in making public policies in a more humane way.  Public administrators are the people who have knowledge of both people and policies; they understand political pressure as well as the pressure of civil society, political parties, media and other peer groups. With the understanding of public policy, the public administrators will be able to execute their duties in more precise manner in their regular routine towards the government and the people. 

Others:
There are many other private and government organizations, Civil Society and Public Policy institutes which are involved in public policy research and development activities. It widely opens career as a trained policy maker in administration, management, government as well as in various research and development organisations. A degree or diploma programme in Public policy will equip one to work in the field of education, healthcare, administration, management, corporate and into the institutions of national and international repute. There are many universities in India which offer certificate, diploma, degree in Public Policy and PhD as full time programme.Some of them are listed below:

Educational Institutes:
Few educational institutions which are involved in Public Policy research are -Indian Institute of Management Bangalore; Indian Institute of Management Kashipur; Jawaharlal Nehru University; Jamia Millia Islamia; Aligarh Muslim University; University of Lucknow; Indian Institute of Public Administration; Institute of Public Policy- MDI Gurgaon Indira Gandhi National Open University; Centre for Public Policy Research; Public Policy Research Institute; Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs; Indian School of Business; Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, etc. (The list is indicative only.)

(The author is associated with the Centre of Excellence in Public Policy and Goverment, Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur, Uttarakhand, e- mail rahsik.jnu@gmail.com)

Article Courtesy: 

http://employmentnews.gov.in/NewEmp/MoreContentNew.aspx?n=InDepthJobs&k=40

Friday, August 23, 2019

Service Profile of an IAS Officer - By JagranJosh

Recruitment:
Civil servants are the permanent bureaucracy in India forms an inseparable part of the executive branch of the Government of India, thus providing continuity to the administration. They hold key and strategic positions in the Union Government, States and public-sector undertakings.
At present, there are three modes of recruitment to IAS:
• Through the Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC every year;
• Through promotion of State Civil Service officers to IAS; and
• Through the selection of non - State Civil Service officers.
Roughly 66 (1/3%) posts are meant for Direct Recruitment and 33 (1/3%) posts are meant for promotion quota.
Direct recruit IAS officers are allocated to State cadres/ Joint State Cadres on the basis of their rank, preference and availability of vacancy.
Most IAS officers start their careers in the state administration at the sub-divisional level as a sub-divisional magistrate. They are entrusted with the law and order situation of the city along with general administration and development work of the areas under their charge.
Designations held by IAS officers during field posting are as follows:
1)    SDO/SDM/Joint Collector/ Chief Development Officer (CDO)
2)    District Magistrate/District Collector/Deputy Commissioner
3)    Divisional Commissioner
4)    Member Board of Revenue
5)    Chairman of Revenue
Besides the above-mentioned posts, a lAS officer can be appointed in autonomous organisations/subordinate organisations/PSUs/UN Organizations/international organisations like the World Bank, Asian development banks in various capacities. They can also serve as Personal Secretaries to Ministers in Central Government. There is provision for deputation of lAS officers to private organisations also for a fixed tenure.
Grade & Position held under the State Government Or Central Government
 The following table shows the Positions held by an IAA officer under the State Government and central Government with respect to the grade of service and years in service.
Grade & Position held under the State Government Or Central Government

Junior Time Scale
(Initial Year)

Sub-Divisional Magistrate in a sub-division of a district/Section Officer in state secretariat (Entry) /Assistant Director to Government of India.
Senior Time Scale
(4th year)

Additional District Magistrate/Additional Collector/Additional Deputy Commissioner of a District or Under Secretary in the State Government.

Junior Administrative Grade
(6th year)

District Magistrate/Collector/Deputy Commissioner of a District or Additional Secretary in the State government or Joint Director/Deputy Secretary to the Government of India.

Selection Grade
(10th year)

District Magistrate/Collector/Deputy Commissioner of a District or Special Secretary in the State government or Director in the Government of India.

Super Time Scale
(17th year)

Divisional Commissioner in a division or Secretary in the State government or Joint Secretary to Government of India.

Above Super Time Scale
(24th year)

Principal Secretary in the State Government or Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

Apex Scale
(31st year)

Chief Secretary of States or Secretary to Government of India.

Cabinet Secretary Grade
(35th year)
Cabinet Secretary of India (Only one post).

**The posts may differ from state to state due to local administrative reasons

The highest ranking civil servant is the Cabinet Secretary. He is ex-officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board; the chief of the Indian Administrative Service and head of all civil services under the rules of business of the Government of India. He also holds the 11th position in the Order of Precedence of India which is a great honour in itself. The position holder is accountable for ensuring that the Civil Service is equipped with the skills and capability to meet the everyday challenges it faces and that civil servants work in a fair and decent environment.

Designations during Posting in Secretariat of State Government/ Central Government
An IAS Officer may hold various posts at different levels as under:-
Posts held by IAS Officer
Sl. No. Designation Remarks
1. Under Secretary in Government of India Gets Senior Time Scale (PB-3 with Rs 6600
Grade Pay) after completion of four years of
service.
2. Deputy Secretary in Government of India Gets Junior Administrative Grade (PB-3 with
Rs 7600 Grade Pay) after completion of 9
years of service
3. Director in Government of India Gets Selection Grade (PB-4 with Rs 8700
Grade Pay) after completion of 13 years of
service.
4. Joint Secretary to Government of India /
Secretary in State Government
Gets Super time Scale (PB-4 with Rs 10000
Grade Pay) after completion of 16 years of
service.
5. Additional Secretary in Government of
India / Principal Secretary in State
Government
Gets Higher Administrative Grade after
completion of 25 years of service.
6. Secretary to Government of India /
Chief Secretary
Gets Apex Scale (Rs 80000 fixed) after
completion of 30 years of service.
7. Cabinet Secretary 90000 fixed
 
Procedures Governing Promotion
In the career span of an IAS officer he is eligible for raise in salary and promotions. The promotions take place after evaluating the performance on the basis of Performance Appraisal Reports, vigilance clearance and scrutiny of overall record of the officers concerned by following laid down procedures. The scrutiny for promotion is done by a Committee of senior civil servants constituted for the purpose. Promotions are dependent on the time period spent by an officer in a particular grade. Specified number of years of service is a pre-requisite to be eligible for promotion. These time-bound promotions have been envisaged to attract and retain the best talent in the country.
Assessment of Suitability for Promotion & Posting
For posting, promotion and manning of posts held in the Centre and State Government and in order to judge their suitability for various assignments, on annual basis, performance of each and every officer is captured through an instrument of Performance Appraisal known as Performance Appraisal Report i.e., PAR. This report is initiated by the officer himself, listing out the various achievements and completion of activities with reference to targets assigned to him and mutually agreed upon and this report is written and commented by the next immediate officer and further reviewed by the officer higher in hierarchy than the Reporting Officer. For All India Services, there is one more authority who accepts the PAR reported and reviewed by the Reporting Officer and Reviewing Officer.
The functions of an IAS Officer broadly include; 
1) Collection of revenue and function as Courts in revenue matters; 
2) Maintenance of law and order, 
3) function as Executive Magistrate, 
4) function as Chief Development Officer (CDO) /District Development Commissioner, 
5) supervision of implementation of policies of the State Government and Central Government, 
6) travel to places to oversee implementation of policies and supervision of expenditure of public funds as per norms of financial propriety.
7) Moreover, an IAS officer has a crucial role to play in the process of policy formulation and decision making as at various levels like Joint Secretary, Deputy Secretary they give final shape to policies.
8) To handle the daily affairs of the government, including framing and implementation of policy in consultation with the minister-in-charge of the concerned Ministry;
In any democracy, Ministers or the member of parliaments are responsible to the people through Parliament and the civil servants have to be accountable to the Minister. Hence, an unbiased civil service is responsible not only to the government of the day, but to the Constitution of the land to which they have taken an oath of devotion.
They also handle the daily affairs of the government, including framing and implementation of policy in consultation with the minister-in-charge of the concerned Ministry. Civil Servants have the constitutional mandate to advice the political executives.
Broadly speaking, an IAS officer is responsible for maintenance of law and order, revenue administration and general administration in the area under him. The major reason of having a permanent lobby of bureaucrats is that they act as an intermediate between public and government by good execution and deliverance skills.

Regulations Governing IAS
IAS officers are regulated through different All India Services Rules such as AIS (Conduct) Rules, 1968, AIS (PAR) Rules, 2007, AIS (DCRB) Rules, 1958, AIS (Cadre) Rules, 1954, AIS (Pay) Rules, 2007 etc. which are made under the powers conferred by the All India Services Act, 1951.

 Content courtesy: https://www.jagranjosh.com/articles/designations-held-by-an-ias-officer-1483618527-1
https://www.jagranjosh.com/articles/service-profile-of-an-ias-officer-1551787205-1