bureaucracy
Slight spelling anomalies and mismatched fingerprints keep a child out of school or a family
from their ration entitlements. https://thewire.in/special/tears-queues-and-a-never-ending-search-for-kagaz-the-real-story-of-aadhaar
At the Inderlok Aadhaar centre, the day's heat rises. So does people's frustration with a system that treats them with a callousness they have done nothing to deserve.
Their only fault is being born in a country with many languages which decided to impose a unique identity, attached to biometrics, now mandatory for basically everything. This ID card is depriving them of their most basic rights: the right to education, the right to food.
.
At the Inderlok Aadhaar centre, the day's heat rises. So does people's frustration with a system that treats them with a callousness they have done nothing to deserve.
Their only fault is being born in a country with many languages which decided to impose a unique identity, attached to biometrics, now mandatory for basically everything. This ID card is depriving them of their most basic rights: the right to education, the right to food.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) hits the underprivileged the most. It drives them to despair, this search for their own identity, based on paperwork or kagaz.
The kagaz can go wrong with the slightest spelling mistake - a lady in queue at the Inderlok Aadhaar centre is there to correct a half s in Hindi to a full s - or with fingerprints not matching as children grow up or adults grow old.
Out there is an apathetic system that is hell-bent on pushing the Aadhaar for every service, even school enrolment.
There is scattered media coverage of children not being able to go to school because of lack of Aadhaar - but nowhere close to sounding the alarm bells on how the goal of universal enrolment being perused in lofty official documents lies by the wayside.
Teachers and principals voice concern about ground reality. Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar reported on April 22 that a parents' forum in Haryana has said that children whose parents do not have a 'permanent address' have complained that they are being denied an Aadhaar card and, consequently, school enrolment.
The e-KYC of ration cards is supposed to weed out cheaters. But what it is doing is helping the state cut down on the poor's right to a minimum amount of free food.
Journalist Rahul Bhatia says the biometric identity Aadhaar took shape as a Hindutva instrument of surveillance, but was pushed with the carrot of welfare to make it palatable in a big, complex country.
Big numbers, unverified, were dangled to show how much the smart identity card would save the country - in terms of stemming leakages in welfare schemes. No one checked to see if those numbers were correct, or where they came from.
"The discourse then becomes how technology will have this net benefit. Meanwhile, we are not looking at whether it has been audited, who is designing it, where the data flow is. These are important discussions in a country that is going digital in a huge way," says Bhatia, author of The Identity Project: The Unmaking of a Democracy, a book released last year.
by Aparna Kalra
29/05/2025
Modi govt's U-turn on lateral entry in civil service: Why it failed & a case for such reform https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S-6na4B3VY ThePrint Aug 20, 2024
As the central government calls to roll back the advertisement by the UPSC for lateral entry recruitment for mid-level positions in the bureaucracy, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta discusses the rationality and history behind the scheme, the impact of caste and coalition politics & why it is creating controversy now despite being in practice for decades in episode 1506 of Cut The ClutteLateral Entry Roll
Five Years On, Govt's Lateral Entry Plan Falls Short Of Expectations, Comes Up For Review https://thesecretariat.in/article/five-years-on-govt-s-lateral-entry-plan-falls-short-of-expectations-comes-up-for-review The government’s plan to rejuvenate the jaded bureaucracy loses its way in Yes Minister-esque intrigue. Is a reboot on the horizon? Pawan Kumar Nov, 29, 2023 ·
The case for lateral entry https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-case-for-lateral-entry-indian-administrative-service-ias-upsc-government-4788115/ August 9, 2017
by Gulzar Natarajan , Duvvuri Subbarao There should be a system of annual recruitment into the IAS of mid-career professionals from diverse sectors
'Modi govt now plans to hire 400 directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry' 'https://theprint.in/india/governance/modi-govt-now-plans-to-hire-400-directors-and-deputy-secretaries-through-lateral-entry/44942
Subramanian Swamy was right. Modi’s lateral entry plan will make reservations irrelevant https://theprint.in/opinion/subramanian-swamy-was-right-modis-lateral-entry-plan-will-make-reservations-irrelevant/250311/
There are three ways Modi government is likely to undermine constitutionally guaranteed reservation policy for SC/STs in his second term. Dilip Mandal 15 June, 2019
Lateral entry experts have ‘become like any IAS officer’ a year into recruitment https://theprint.in/india/governance/lateral-entry-experts-have-become-like-any-ias-officer-a-year-into-recruitment/505476/
Sanya Dhingra Modi govt hasn’t made any civil services recruitment though lateral entry since last year. Stakeholders say ‘domain experts’ hired have been subsumed by the system.
RSS-backed IAS institute has been quietly grooming ‘nationalist’ civil servants since 1986 https://theprint.in/india/education/rss-backed-ias-institute-has-been-quietly-grooming-nationalist-civil-servants-since-1986/503660/ Sanya Dhingra 16 September, 2020 In 2020 civil services exam, Samkalp Foundation has claimed a success rate of 61%. The institute with close ties to RSS claimed similar success in the last few years too.
11:16 am IST
21 September, 2020
https://dopt.gov.in/sites/default/files/CCS_Conduct_Rules_1964_Updated_27Feb15_0.pdf
The Civil Services (Conduct) Rules require an Indian government servant to “promote the principles of merit, fairness and impartiality in the discharge of duties” and “act with fairness and impartiality and not discriminate against anyone”. Article 14 of the Indian Constitution says, “The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.”
Every Government servant shall at all times--
(i) maintain absolute integrity;
(ii) maintain devotion to duty; and
(iii) do nothing which is unbecoming of a Government servant.
commit himself to and uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic
values;(iv) commit himself to and uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic
values;
(v) defend and uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State,
public order, decency and morality;
(vi) maintain high ethical standards and honesty;
(vii) maintain political neutrality;
(viii) promote the principles of merit, fairness and impartiality in the discharge of duties;
(ix) maintain accountability and transparency;
(x) maintain responsiveness to the public, particularly to the weaker section;
(xi) maintain courtesy and good behaviour with the public;
(xii) take decisions solely in public interest and use or cause to use public resources
efficiently, effectively and economically
(xiii) declare any private interests relating to his public duties and take steps to resolve
any conflicts in a way that protects the public interest;
(xiv) not place himself under any financial or other obligations to any individual or
organisation which may influence him in the performance of his official duties;
(xv) not misuse his position as civil servant and not take decisions in order to derive
financial or material benefits for himself, his family or his friends;
(xvi) make choices, take decisions and make recommendations on merit alone;
(xvii) act with fairness and impartiality and not discriminate against anyone, particularly
the poor and the under-privileged sections of society;
(xviii) refrain from doing anything which is or may be contrary to any law, rules,
regulations and established practices;
(xix) maintain discipline in the discharge of his duties and be liable to implement the
lawful orders duly communicated to him;
(xx) maintain confidentiality in the performance of his official duties as required by any
laws for the time being in force, particularly with regard to information, disclosure
of which may prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security
of the State, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, friendly relation
with foreign countries or lead to incitement of an offence or illegal or unlawful gain
to any person;
(xxi) perform and discharge his duties with the highest degree of professionalism and
dedication to the best of his abilities.