Mission Karmayogi – National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building has been envisioned by the Government to address the changing needs and aspiration of the citizen. The Programme has been designed to enhance the civil services under a national Programme, anchored by an apex body headed by the Prime Minister. It was approved on 2nd September 20, 2020 by the Union Cabinet led by PM. Mission Karmayogi -National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building ( NPCSCB )- is meant to reform Indian bureaucracy and prepare civil servants for the future. It aims to create a ‘ citizen centric civil service ‘ which focusses on behavioural change. on The mission is expected to integrate various dimensions of human resource management in government, such as capacity building through carefully curated and vetted digital e-learning material; deploying the right person to the right role through competency mapping; succession planning,etc. It has Lateral entry refers to the induction of private sector specialists in government departments. The chosen candidates will be appointed on a contract basis for a period of three years,can be extended up to five years based on the candidate’s performance.
The programme to reform the Civil Services is well intended,but its success depends on how transparently it is implemented. But, intriguingly, the response became muted, quickly enough.
Governence in a government set-up cannot happen as in the private sector. The reason — in a private sector a decision gone wrong is not always blamed on one official, and the private sector does not face the fear of three C’s, namely CBI,CVC and the CAG.
To operate online learning platform and facilitate world class learning for around 46 lakh Central employees, 5110.86 crore will be spent over five years from 2020-21 to 2024-25 for the purpose.
Critics say the Mission sounds more like rhetoric than anything else. Individuals across party lines agree that there is a need for administrative reforms. But should not it start from the roots? Manish Tewari, lawyer and MP, wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker suggesting that there should be a Permanent Standing Committee on Administrative Reforms.
On law and order, public mostly interact with a bear constable or at best an assistant sub-inspector. When the administration interacts with the citizens,it is usually not a pleasant affair. What is needed is a bottom-up administrative re-engineering of both the administrative and law enforcement apparatus.
There have been two administrative commissions set up in 1966 and 2005. Tiwari added both the commissions which submitted tomes as reports was buried by the bureaucracy. The one thing that stands out is that no government, irrespective of it’s political colour and character, would do any cosmetic administrative reform. Therefore,it is incumbent on the legislature to step in. The mission will ensure the image makeover if the appraisal system be more performance linked. It should not become a parking ground for retired bureaucrats.
In current form there is a fear for it is aimed at a more centralised system of man-management. Critics say the multilateral loan taken for the programme could be because some multilateral agency would be pushing it.
In fact,both the National Training Policy of 2012 and the NITI Aayog’s India@75 report underscored the necessity of capacity building of officials as a critical part of the overall Civil Services Reforms.
But there is doubt that PM have time on his hand to micromanage the HR. Because such a critical initiative warrants monitoring and guidance at the highest levels of executive leadership. Highest body will steer Mission Karmayogi and signal timely policy inventions,approve Annual National Capacity Building Plan, review progress reports of various tiers of the government and take strategic calls on all aspects of capacity building and personal management.
At the core the programme requires competency for every role. The learning records of the officials will signal their existing competency details, which help to identify right person with right competence for the right job. The government would like it to be seen as preparing the system for the future. While one has to acknowledge that this is a step forward, the key will be on how transparently it will be implemented. Otherwise it might just end up being another Game of Thrones. Let’s hope the government’s mission of shift from ‘rule’ to ‘role’ will be a success.
