In his lecture on the 4th UPSC Foundation Day, the President outlined some of the basics of good governance for any Government. Transparency and accountability are the two primary elements of good governance. Fortunately both of these elements are covered by the law in our country. But more than that, the culture of good governance needs to be cultivated among Government functionaries. When India attained freedom in 1947, Sardar Patel, the then Home Minister was asked what he would do with the bureaucracy that was run by the ICS people who had been trained under colonial rule. The great Sardar said that he would surely like to fire them but who will run the Government.
The role and importance of bureaucracy cannot be underestimated. Sometimes we are too critical of bureaucracy and envy the facilities and privileges that this class enjoys. But we have to remember that they have to go through the mill before they are called upon to take sensitive responsibilities of running the administration. The bureaucracy has to be efficient and efficiency means sticking to the rules. The UPSC is an agency that provides the State the finest brains that run the Government. However, it is necessary that the IAS and similar cadres identify themselves with the nation they are serving. In an age of cutthroat competition, we need most efficient bureaucracy to run the affairs of the State. But the President warned that administration could no more move with slow pace as that would not be acceptable. He said that capable persons running the administration have made great contribution in developing the country and giving her prestigious infrastructure. However, we need to take note of some debilities creeping into our administration and governance. These have to be checked and improved. Development has to be fast and uninterrupted to catch up with the advanced countries of the world. But going fast did not mean doing things in haste. Our population is growing and with that our problems are also multiplying. Therefore we need to do good homework on planning the future of the country. That cannot wait and go sluggishly. Fast track policy has to be adopted to meet that requirement.
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