3.2.2. Issues with All India Services

The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State Relations sought the views of the State Governments on:

♤ Whether the AIS have fulfilled the expectations of the Constitution makers; and

♤ Whether the State Government should have greater control over them.

Most of the State Governments agree that the AIS have, by and large, fulfilled the expectations of the Constitution-makers. However, some State Governments have expressed concerns such as:

♤ Relevance of AIS years after independence: The framers of the Constitution provided for the AIS because of the serious problems of politico-administrative management and instability then faced by the country. However, the Union and the State Governments have since acquired adequate political, administrative and managerial experience.

♤ Indian Police Service (IPS): As all key positions in the State police are held by members of IPS, the State Government's responsibility in regard to public order has got whittled down.

♤ Against Federalism: It is argued that winding up AIS and separate civil services of state and centre would bring the working of these Governments closer to a federal system.

♤ The unity and integrity of the country and national integration should rest on more durable factors, like economic prosperity, strong elective institutions, etc., and not on an administrative apparatus, like the AIS.

♤ Authority –Responsibility Gap: AIS officers tend to think that they are under the disciplinary control of the Union Government and not the State Government. A few State Governments have emphasised that an AIS officer should be under the full disciplinary control of 'the State Government under which he is serving.

♤ Cadre allocation Policy: The policy of the Union to induct at least 50% outsiders in each State cadre of an AIS implies that these outsiders are more amenable to the control of the Union Government than the insiders. This approach accentuates hostility between the AIS and the State Services as well as between the former and the political leadership in a State. States perceive this to be a clever ploy of the union government to gain control over state government.

♤ Son of soil theory: Outsiders are vaguely aware about language, ethos, profile of the state which they are posted.

♤ AIS under Union List: AIS are joint responsibility of centre and state, yet it is under Union list (Entry 70).

♤ Formation of New AIS: The question of the formation of new AIS has been an important area of friction between the Central Government and the States mainly due to three reasons:

o creation of new AIS cuts at the effective spread of State services, thus, reducing the employment opportunities for the sons of the soil,

o AIS encroach upon State autonomy, and

o they also involve larger expenditure because of high salary scales.

♤ Central Deputation: Unto 1984, central deputation was done on the consent of the state government which has been dispensed with.