Capacity constraints of civil service leadership : an overview of the training and development of higher civil services in India

Abstract

The dawn of independence for India in 1947 led to a flurry of activities by the government to expedite the process of modernisation and nation-building and the responsibility was promptly shouldered by the civil services of the day considered to be the steel frame known for its vigour, vitality, impartiality and effectiveness. Although the civil services were inexperienced in the concept of a welfare state, they have come out with flying colours both in stabilising the fluid and turbulent society, economy and polity and also propelling the growth and development from vanguard; all of which necessitated constant and continuous learning on the part of civil services through training and development activities. The research provides an overview of the role of training and development activities with specific reference to training institutions, training activities and training curriculum, of the higher civil services in India in enhancing their capacity in the formulation and execution of public policies and also critically focus the areas which have incapacitated the system as a whole in delivering public services to the citizens of the country. The article intends to bring out the issues pertaining to the needs of the civil servants in the era of a liberal and global world where the citizen expects better and qualitative services and the role that can be played by the training and development activities towards the fulfilment of the goals. The article discusses the content, pedagogy, effectiveness, review and the present state of training in civil services. The article endeavours to present the civil service training in India in international perspective and offers suggestions to make it relevant to the present day needs of a developmental state.