The State of Civil Services in India
Surely disappointing, but small mercy is that the frame remains in position. It’s battered a lot, yet largely functional. It remains resilient and has not collapsed like in many/most countries, but it’s value have deliberately been corroded in the last few years. Though the UPSC exam still attracts the finest that a generation has to offer, the fact is that the political class has completely taken over the civil services. What now?
JAWHAR SIRCAR
Jawhar Sircar studied at the universities of Calcutta, Presidency, Cambridge and Sussex. He is currently Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal, who has served as India’s Culture Secretary (2008-2012) and thereafter as the CEO of Prasar Bharati (2012-2016). He resigned prematurely due to differences with the PM.
Through his four decades of service, he has retained his interest in research and writing. Sircar has chaired several cultural and academic institutions, the last being the ICSSR’s Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. He writes and speaks regularly on social and cultural history and contemporary affairs — as well on the anthropology of religion and its intersection with politics.
