A Civil Services Board (CSB) is a high-level institutional mechanism created to regulate → Postings, Transfers, Promotions of senior civil servants, especially those belonging to the All India Services (IAS, IPS, IFoS). Core Purpose The CSB seeks to ensure that administrative decisions are → Transparent, Stable, Merit-based, Free from arbitrary political interference In essence, the…
Lateral entry refers to the direct recruitment of domain experts from → Private sector, Academia, Public institutions, International organisation → into mid-level and senior-level government positions, without going through the traditional UPSC Civil Services Examination route. The core objective is simple: To inject specialised skills, fresh thinking, and professional expertise into the bureaucracy. This reform…
Why Do Civil Services Reforms Become Inevitable? Every institution must evolve with: Indian civil services were designed in a colonial administrative context, but today they operate in: Therefore, reforms are not an attack on civil services; they are necessary corrections to preserve their relevance, credibility, and effectiveness. Recent Initiatives to Promote Efficiency and Accountability (a)…
What Do We Mean by Civil Services? When we speak of Civil Services in India, we are referring to a body of permanent government officials who run the administration of the country on a day-to-day basis. Unlike political executives—who come and go through elections—civil servants are career officials. Their role is not to win votes,…
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is a specialized, multi-disciplinary investigative agency of the Government of India, entrusted with probing economic crimes, particularly money laundering and foreign exchange violations. It operates under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, and plays a critical role in protecting the financial integrity of the Indian economy. Unlike conventional police agencies,…
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is India’s premier investigative agency, entrusted with probing high-profile corruption cases, economic offences, and serious crimes that have national and inter-state ramifications. It functions as the primary investigating arm of the Central Government and plays a vital role in preserving administrative integrity and public trust. Importantly, the CBI is…
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 establishes Lokpal at the central level and Lokayuktas at the state level as statutory anti-corruption institutions. These bodies were created to investigate allegations of corruption against public officials, thereby strengthening transparency, accountability, and public trust in governance. While Lokpal covers corruption cases involving the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Members…
Whistleblowing refers to the act of exposing bribery, corruption, fraud, abuse of power, incompetence, or unethical conduct within public, private, or third-sector organizations. The disclosure may be made either internally to authorities within the organization or externally to regulators, media, or the public. In recent years, whistleblowing has gained prominence not only in the public…
Social accountability refers to the obligation and responsibility of the government to be answerable to citizens for its actions, decisions, and outcomes. It goes beyond internal government checks and emphasizes direct citizen involvement in evaluating governance performance. At its core, accountability of public officials is a cornerstone of good governance. Without it, democracy becomes procedural…
Introduction When we talk about democratic governance, one idea stands at the very core: an informed citizen. The Right to Information (RTI) institutionalises this idea by giving citizens the legal power to ask questions and demand answers from the State. RTI as a Fundamental Right The Supreme Court of India has consistently held that the…
