Context: With the need for an efficient and citizen-centric approach for people at ground level has made. The Prime Minister to launch the Mission Karmyogi on Independence Day, 2021.

• The scheme has aimed to focus the working of civil services towards their duties.

About Mission Karmyogi

• Mission Karmayogi - National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) – is meant to reform Indian bureaucracy and prepare civil servants for the future.

• Manager of the Mission A Public Human Resource Council under the chairmanship of Prime Minister will manage the mission. The other members of this council are: Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, Eminent public HR practitioners Thinkers Public service functionaries Global thought leaders

• The programme aims “comprehensive reform of the capacity building apparatus at individual institutional and process levels for efficient public service delivery”.

Objective

• Better delivery of government services

• Reduce the gap between the citizens and the government

• Better ease of living and greater ease of doing business

Features of the Mission Karmayogi

• Tech-Aided: The capacity building will be delivered through the iGOT Karmayogi digital platform, with content drawn from global best practices.

What is iGOT-Karmayogi? 

• It is an Integrated Government Online Training digital platform, under the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD). 

• Which will deliver capacity building programmes by drawing content from global best practices rooted in Indian national ethos. 

• It will enable, a comprehensive reform of the capacity building apparatus at the individual, institutional and process levels.

• Shift from Rules to Roles: The programme will support a transition from “rules-based to roles-based” Human Resource Management (HRM). so, that work allocations can be done by matching an official’s competencies to the requirements of the post.

• Integrated Initiative: Eventually, service matters such as confirmation after the probation period, deployment, work assignments and notification of vacancies will all be integrated into the proposed framework.

• Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: An appropriate monitoring and evaluation framework will also be put in place for the performance evaluation of all users of the iGOT-Karmayogi platform. So, as to generate a dashboard view of Key Performance Indicators.

Importance of the Civil Service to Governance

• Service presence throughout the country and its strong binding character

• The administrative and managerial capacity of the services

• Effective policy-making and regulation

• Effective coordination between institutions of governance

• Leadership at different levels of administration.

• Service delivery at the cutting-edge level

• Provide ‘continuity and change’ to the administration.

There are nearly 18 million civil servants employed across India, with approximately two-thirds at the state government and local authority levels. (World Bank Update)

Ailments Afflicting Indian Civil Services

• Lack of professionalism and poor capacity building

• Inefficient incentive systems that do not appreciate upright and outstanding civil servants but reward the corrupt and the incompetent

• Outmoded rules and procedures that restrict the civil servant from performing effectively

• Systemic inconsistencies in promotion and empanelment

• Lack of adequate transparency and accountability procedures - there is also no safety for whistle-blowers

• Arbitrary and whimsical transfers– insecurity in tenures impedes institutionalization

• Political interference and administrative acquiescence

• A gradual erosion in values and ethics

Recent achievements

• The World Bank has approved a USD 47 million projects to support the Government of India’s Mission Karmayogi, a national program to build civil service capacity.