Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Kuno field director Uttam Kumar Sharma has stirred a hornet's nest by posting a two-page article on his X handle, questioning the short tenures of bureaucrats and advocating longer postings to bring about meaningful and lasting changes in the system.
Titled “The Value of Tenure: Can a Bureaucrat Change the System?”, the article argues that longer tenures for bureaucrats are essential if meaningful and lasting changes are to be brought about in the administrative system.
He points out an interesting pattern in how the duration of an officer's tenure influences his ability to govern and bring about change. A tenure of less than a year means that the system continues to be run largely by subordinates.
Between one and two years, the system gradually begins to function according to the wishes and priorities of the officer. Beyond three years, if the officer has the inclination and commitment, innovations begin to take shape and institutional changes become possible.
He observes that when a young officer enters the civil service, he is driven by idealism and an urge to make a difference, correct what he perceives to be wrong, and introduce positive and lasting changes in the system. However, the administrative system has its own established way of functioning.
Soon, a young officer discovers that changing such an enormous system is not as easy as it initially appeared. A short tenure hardly provides enough time to understand the system, let alone bring about meaningful changes.
He further points out that repeated short tenures gradually cause idealism to give way to pragmatism. Officers increasingly focus on keeping the system running rather than changing the way it functions.
His post further reads that some officers, knowing that their tenure may be short, begin with grand announcements, ambitious promises and revolutionary speeches.
They are also aware that they may not remain in office long enough to be held accountable for implementing these promises. Yet, the image of a visionary reformer remains intact, it said.
He adds that in the present bureaucratic system, an officer does not always have the freedom to determine the duration of his tenure, as transfers and postings are beyond his control. Everyone wants to bring about change, but while some get the opportunity, others do not.
