By Dilip Cherian
The Centre appears keen to give young IPS officers early exposure to the workings and priorities of the Union Home Ministry, even before they begin their careers in their respective state cadres.
In a first, the 78RR batch of 151 officer trainees, including 16 foreign officers, will be attached to the ministry before proceeding to their state cadres. The stated objective is to familiarise them with national security priorities, intelligence coordination and the Centre’s approach to policing. All very worthwhile, on paper.
But why the need for another layer of central orientation when the National Police Academy already has a structured training programme, including attachments to central security and investigative agencies, followed by practical training in state cadres?
The timing and institutional context make the move interesting. The Home Ministry is not just another department; it is the cadre-controlling authority for the IPS. This early exposure allows the Centre to shape the outlook of officers who will eventually occupy influential policing positions across the country.
There is merit in giving young officers an understanding of national security priorities and the Centre’s perspective. The question is whether this additional exposure will meaningfully strengthen their professional training or simply add another layer of familiarisation to an already elaborate induction process. The distinction will lie in what the attachment actually delivers.
No easy flying
Haryana’s babus may soon find that getting a foreign trip approved is harder than getting a visa. The state government’s revised rules put the Chief Secretary’s office firmly in the driving seat, with every proposal eventually requiring the Chief Minister’s approval. The official justification is tighter scrutiny and financial discipline.
Nobody is suggesting that taxpayer-funded junkets, dubious training programmes or conferences doubling up as sightseeing excursions deserve a free pass. Not every babu needs to fly abroad in the name of capacity building. Some foreign trips probably deliver little more than photographs, shopping bags and frequent-flyer miles.
But does curbing such excesses require another elaborate clearance mechanism? Routing every proposal through the Chief Secretary before it reaches the Chief Minister risks turning even worthwhile professional engagements into an obstacle course. It also concentrates enormous discretion in a few hands, leaving ample scope for selective approvals and favouritism.
The bigger question is whether this is really about accountability or simply keeping the babus on a tighter leash. If transparency is the objective, publish the purpose, cost, approvals and outcomes of every official foreign visit. After all, good governance isn’t about how many files a government makes officers push before boarding a plane. It’s about ensuring that those who do fly have something worthwhile to show for it when they return.
The courtesy deficit
It is not every day that the Cabinet Secretary has to resort to cartoons to explain workplace manners to senior babus. But apparently, some things that should come naturally to officers occupying the highest echelons of government need spelling out.
T.V. Somanathan reportedly flagged 12 behavioural irritants, ranging from throwing files and sitting on decisions to scheduling meetings after 7 pm, keeping staff waiting, and making women colleagues uncomfortable under the pretext of showing them documents. It’s quite a list for a service that prides itself on discipline and professionalism.
Some of these may sound like familiar quirks; others point to a more troubling culture of entitlement. The assumption that everyone else must adjust to an officer’s convenience, working hours and temper seems deeply ingrained in parts of the system.
To his credit, Somanathan has chosen to call out these habits rather than pretend they don’t exist. Whether the message travels beyond the meeting room is another matter. Senior officers are hardly short of advice, instructions or performance reviews. Rarer is someone telling them that the way they behave with colleagues and subordinates matters too.
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of this episode is that such a reminder was needed at all.