“The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity. The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.”

Being a civil services officer is no cake-walk but actually a roller coaster ride. Playing crucial roles in administration, they are capable of turning things around with their swift decision-making, acumen and leadership. Frequent transfers are a given during their tenures, and by and large, the officers cope with them remarkably well. There are instances galore of Civil Services officers who have set up an ideal template of the craft they bring to their profession. A recent reshuffle in their postings prompts the writer with his 43-year experience of interaction with many officers; to take a peep into the phenomenon.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is reputed to have said that “it is a myth that good governance is bad politics. The truth is actually to the contrary – that good governance is good politics. A good government should keep in mind the welfare of future generations, not the next election.”

If you thought that the concept of good governance rests only on elected representatives of the day, you are mistaken. They need a robust administrative advocacy from competent officers drawn from the civil services cadres. Bureaucracy in India is sometimes referred to as Babudom, a self-serving, elite clique that is not accountable to anyone except the political masters whose bidding they are accused of doing besides being more focused on the process than bringing about positive outcome. That, contrary to the cynical perception, would be patently unfair and painting the entire tribe with the same brush. There have been sterling examples of IAS, IPS, IRS and IFoS officers who have an impeccable record in administration and public policy and have earned justified kudos from the populace they have served.

These are the officers who have fine-tuned the art of striking a sensible balance while working within the legal and administrative framework, rarely getting intimidated by the pulls and pressures their job demands almost round the clock. The government of the day and the top officers are ideally expected to work in tandem like a well-oiled machine. In reality that does not always happen. Top bureaucrats who are not perceived as pliable or unduly honest, pay a price for their probity and rectitude. At times, it comes in the form of transfers as they are believed to be more loyal to their duty than to the political dispensation.

Not all transfers have to be looked at from this prism. The services of the officers who serve at the “pleasure of the President of India”, are protected under Article 311 of the Constitution from politically motivated or vindictive action. This is perhaps where good bureaucrats stand up to pressures that come from transfers to remote and inconsequential postings while some do not. It is a known fact that some officers are frequently transferred to de-stabilise their personal and professional life. It is pertinent to note that the average tenure of an IAS officer at one post is 18-22 months. Having said that, it is also remarkable how they take these transfers in their stride.

It is very difficult to apprehend the other reasons of transfer apart from it being a part of service rules of the government. It is left to the discerning Media and informed people to read between the lines and gauge what could be the real reason behind the transfer. In fact, transfers of IAS officers are so routine that it hardly makes news unless the officer has raised eyebrows with controversies that have palpable ramifications. The bottom line remains that that IAS officers are extremely powerful and can bring about change when they use that power.

For officers transfers are a way of life. Normally those who are upright and bold always keep their bags packed. They are seized of the fact that whenever they become inconvenient to local bigwigs, they could be shunted out. They challenge the authority or wish to bring the change and for achieving it are ready to face a transfer. Fearlessness of transfer makes one brave and bold. However, when one loves a department and is doing a great job, there is appreciation from the people. In such situations, a sudden transferred can leave an officer crest fallen. The usual approach is to accept it and move on.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are IAS officer who take on the strong and mighty and take pride in flaunting their frequent transfers as some kind of a badge on their sleeve. The common examples that come to mind are the belligerent and combative Mr Arun Bhatia transferred 26 times and who later plunged into politics, and Mr Ashok Khemka (1991 batch, Haryana cadre), transferred 45 times. Haryana had acquired the reputation as a “transfer-happy state”.

Confrontation with the powers-that-be is a separate matter of subject. That said, at the initial stage, an officer belonging to IAS is posted in the field as a SDM and then as Collector. It seems that at that implementation stage, the officer wields vast powers which diminishes when he moves over to policy area as joint secretary, Additional Secretary, Secretary etc. But in fact, what the officer contributes in policy areas have long-term consequences and touches millions of lives. So, in reality, the officer is placed on promotion in positions of higher responsibility. The idea of more or less power is a mistaken impression. But it does not really matter.

Most of the officers are willing to serve whichever post they are put to. And it is the prerogative of the political executive to decide who among the officers to be put to a particular post. Assured tenures are to be given to IAS officers according to a 2013 SC judgement and this was in practice in a few cadres even before the Judgement. But in even those circumstances, the govt might be able to invoke a clause of urgency and to transfer an officer. The underlying fact is transfers are both inevitable and imperative.

Unofficially, the officers are bracketed in categories. There are officers who are both competent as well as very considerate of the ruling class. They possess good human skill and command over their job. They know the minds of the dispensation at the deepest level and do their best to accommodate their requests by using their discretionary powers without breaking the law. They know the system and they are performers. These are the officers sought after by every regime. They often man the difficult but important charges of the government; but they are usually not considered for the so-called plum postings.

The second category are those IAS/IPS officers whose ethos is guided by their affiliations to those in power. They come on the “hit list” when the regime changes. They are transferred immediately by the new regime and shunted to the cool charges. The game continues. The third list comprises officers who are discarded by all regimes by virtue of their copy-book ideal of honesty. Some play safe and are happy to be side-lined where they feel more peaceful. There is lastly, the category that is unhappy with the alleged injustice meted out to them due to reasons that are purely unofficial.

At times, behind the history of transfers, a drill down would show that most of them are merely change of charge from one office to another in the same capacity in the same city causing no shift of residence or family. However, a transfer – whatever be the reason –changes the life’s algorithm for the officers – new place, new staff and new settlements/adjustments. The level-headed ones are dignified, composed and adjust to these with their customary elan and professional stoicism.

A series done by The resource 24×7 some time back, shows that the IAS/IPS/IRS officers cope up with the burden on their emotional and mental well-being by branching out to other constructive let-outs like painting, writing, travelling and doing social work. Which is what makes them Men/Women for All Seasons. These serve as effective antidotes for their burdened minds and brace them up for the challenges to come. And the challenges are endless!