Day 20 – Q 3.Is it possible to have dedication to public service if the salary of a civil servant is less? Critically examine.
3. Is it possible to have dedication to public service if the salary of a civil servant is less? Critically examine.
क्या सिविल सेवक का वेतन कम होने के बावजूद सार्वजनिक सेवा के प्रति समर्पण संभव है? समालोचनात्मक जांच करें।
Synopsis:
Once Dr. Sam Pitroda, said that “Biggest tragedy of our nation is that the best minds of this country are busy solving problems of the rich who in reality don’t have any problem, while the poor, vulnerable and needy are left uncared for!”. So this is the fact and some people get inspired by such great statements from these types of personality.
Introduction:
In 2015, IIM-Ahmedabad did a detailed study comparing the salary and emoluments of employees belonging to government and private sector. And it has observed that the government pays much more than the private sector does as far as low-skilled segments are concerned, but the government salary is lower in the officers’ segment than in the private sector, particularly in later years of the job. So clearly the remuneration in the civil services when compared to the private sector is not par, so the government need to be looked into it.
“Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation”. Margaret Chase Smith
Reasons for joining civil services despite low salary:
The motivation is different for different people, ranging from money to an urge for doing something for the nation but the journey is same for almost all of them.
- For a civil servant some non-tangible things are associated with it like job satisfaction, job security, prestige associated with the job.
- Along with that, it gives civil servants power and responsibility to improve the standard of living of people; these intangible things help him to demonstrate dedication to public service.
- Public service is a diverse job and helps in building personality, and public service is seen with a lot of respect in our society. However, as we have seen in the Singapore the better pay will of course be a morale booster for the public servants.
- Public service is a concept that has ‘dedicated’, ‘honesty’ and ‘service’ inherent to it.
- The duty of a civil servant includes some of the most significant work like working against untouchability, ensuring health and education to the masses, peace and security of the nation which cannot be equated to any economic outcomes or perks, and it does have a satisfying and utility to society attached to it.
However, there are some genuine issues are there:
- Low salary both in absolute and relative terms, if we compare it to corporate sector, PSUs and many other government jobs and the yearly increment is also quite low.
- Cadre allotment is permanent and will stay same till retirement, whether you like it or not and if it is thousands miles from home, you can’t do anything.
- Frequent transfers will cause disruptions especially in family life and a time may come when for the sake of your child’s studies or something else that you will chose to stay alone while your family lives at another place.
- Political interference and orders from ministers who some of them are illiterate or insane causes lots of frustration.
Conclusion:
Even if the facilities given to a civil servant can be matched by other professions, the power that a civil servant gets and commands is unique. Civil servants usually have the charge of the administration of an entire district/state/department/ministry. This is a massive responsibility and a lot of people depend on them to function effectively and efficiently. They have the power to bring about positive changes in the lives of people. They can affect policies on social initiatives, education, health and economy. This supremacy to serve the people and the country is incomparable. Only the civil services give the opportunity to take a direct and active part in the progress of the country.
Best answer: tango
