The Modi government has brought about major changes and turnarounds in the functioning of the government machinery and administrative set up. The message of the government has been clear. The top bureaucrats have not remained untouched by the massive reforms set in by the Modi government. The government has made it clear that the bureaucrats are no longer entitled to preferential treatment. The culture of extolling bureaucrats to a level higher than ordinary citizens and giving them a false sense of entitlement has been absolutely demolished by the Modi government.
In one such instance, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the premature repatriation of a high ranking bureaucrats, serving as a Joint Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. This comes a little more than a month after the bureaucrat wrote a letter to Rajat Sharma, President, Delhi District Cricket Administration (DDCA). The letter which was written on the official letterhead of the Joint Secretary apprised the addressee about an earlier conversation in which the bureaucrat had requested complementary passes for an IPL match between the Delhi and Kolkata teams at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. The letter further stated that even though the Executive Assistant of the addressee had taken relevant details, the passes were never delivered and that there was no further correspondence on the addressee’s part.
In the concluding paragraph of the letter, the bureaucrat seemed to express what can be expressed as a sense of anguish towards the DDCA staff. He stated that the letter was only in order to bring the entire episode into the DDCA President’s notice and “whether your (DDCA President’s) Executive Assistant had informed you about my (bureacrat’s) call.” He further advised that the DDCA President’s office staff show “courtesy” in such matters and give “timely feedback”. He also opined that there must be mutual respect on account of the bureaucrat’s and the addressee’s position.
The way he expressed anguish and disappointment towards the DDCA seemed highly inappropriate and seems to suggest that the top ranking bureaucrat was almost trying to enforce special entitlement and “mutual respect”. It seems that the bureaucrat wanted special treatment and privileges, the kind that the bureaucrats have enjoyed all this while. However, the Modi government has now made it amply clear that the bureaucrats do not have an inherent right to enforce special treatment, privileges and entitlement. Demolition of the culture of entitlement among the high level bureaucrats remains one of the underrated achievements of the present government.