Recently many secretary-level officers of the government of India had to attend a four-week training programme organised by IIM Ahmedabad in collaboration with the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. The entire 1991 batch of IAS officers was made to attend the training programme at the Administration Academy (no families or leave of absence allowed) at Mussoorie including a training visit to the US. This was the first time in the history of the civil service that an entire batch of mid-level officers were made to undergo training simultaneously. The induction training curriculum at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie too has been changed substantially following recommendations made by the R. Vaidyanatha Ayyar committee. It now includes, inter alia, attachment with an NGO, greater knowledge about functioning of industries and businesses and greater sensitivity to the processes of history, politics and globalisation.

Some new things are happening in the civil service. Three major reform committees have been set up by the government of India in the recent past on the subject of civil service reform. Two were charged with suggesting improvements to the curriculum of training for IAS officers while the third was to suggest broad reforms to the civil service. Many of the recommendations made by these committees are already under implementation. These reports highlight a core concern in officialdom that the civil service at present is seen to be corrupt, arrogant and unresponsive to the needs of society and that citizens are being shortchanged by administrators who are not doing all that they could and should.

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