Public Administration in India

About the Book The book traces the history of public administration in India from the ancient times to the current practices. It is based on the insights gained by an administrator in more than 35 years of experience at the state, national and international levels. Written in jargon-free language in an easy and direct style, this book avoids theoretical discussion or examination of issues on ideological grounds. It will suit the needs of both the layperson and the student as it is an informative down to-earth book on administration in India. It will serve as a good guide to aspirants and entrants to the civil services, to whom, in the beginning, government and administration appear formidable and inhibiting. Central and state training institutions, where public administration is sought to be taught in a practical way, will also find the book handy.

Padma Ramachandran is currently Vice-Chancellor, M.S. University, Baroda. She has had an illustrious career as a member of the Indian Administrative Service from 1956 to 1992, holding responsible positions in the State (Kerala), in the Government of India and with the United Nations. The first woman civil servant in Kerala to become District Collector, Secretary to Government and later Chief Secretary to Government, she was also the Director, Asia and Pacific Centre for Women and Development, UNESCAP, Bangkok. Widely travelled, she has studied different systems of governance and the problems of women's development in many countries. She has authored several short stories, and written articles and papers on management, training and women.

Foreword The government is almost a part of our daily lives, as one comes in contact with public servants daily. This interaction is not always a pleasant one and the general perception among the public is that administration has deteriorated in recent years. The form of government is important from the point of view of representation, accountability, fairness and equity, but it is through good administration that a govern ment endeavours to bring these about. Hence, the well known saying that whatever be the form of government, whatever is administered best, is best. Yet, most of us know little about 'public administration' and the principles that should inform it in a parliamentary democracy like ours.

Many books have been written over the years on political systems and forms of government, but it is only since the 1950s that public administration or governance has been studied as a separate subject in itself. Even so, it did not get the importance that the subject of management in business got from institutions and writers. There are many books on management for the general reader. Books on public administration and public management were written by academics and scholars mostly for other scholars, and administrators. Some administrators also wrote books based on their personal experiences. These books did not gain a wider readership, nor were they intended to. In India, to the best of my knowledge, there is no book so far on this important subject for the general public. This book meets that need.

Introduction The majesty that was, and is, India, dates back to several centuries. Ancient civilisations had grown in different parts of the country even prior to 2000 BC. Wave after wave of immigrants swept the country starting with the Aryan immigration which is said to have begun around 1500 BC, also called the Vedic Age since the Rigveda was composed then. The first set of immigrants settled in the Punjab. Within 500 years they had expanded into the valley of the Ganga and later, into Bengal.

We are all probably descendants of earlier civilisations and later immigrants because no one knows whether there was a native race of the Indian soil. We have inherited an ancient and vast land, which now measures 3214 km from the north to the south and 2933 km from the east to the west with a total land area of 3,287,263 sq. km. We have 25 states and six Union Territories and now the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The Himalayas border India on the north, north-east and north-west, and at the tip, in South India, is Kanyakumari washed by the Arabian Sea on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other.

**Contents and Sample Pages**