Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Civil Services

Sir, — The present controversy as to whether the Civil Services like IAS should consist of generalists or specialists is apparently a sterile one inasmuch as the bureaucracy should have both generalists and professionals in larger national interest. While I agree with K. Venkatasubramanian ( May 7 ) that the IAS is only for the best, his statement: "It would be better to make the IAS a professional group as generalists have failed to deliver the goods in the last 50 years" appears to be too sweeping to stand in-depth scrutiny. There have been upright and excellent administrators in the past decades. If some mandarins failed to deliver, it is because they were forced to dance to the tunes of their ministers. Unless, the growing politicisation of the bureaucracy is nipped in the bud, even professionals, like the generalists, will be unable to deliver the goods.

K. Ramamurthi,
Chennai

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