{"id":126571,"date":"2024-08-17T19:48:30","date_gmt":"2024-08-17T14:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=editorial-analysis&#038;p=126571"},"modified":"2024-08-20T16:35:30","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T11:05:30","slug":"ensuring-social-justice-in-the-bureaucracy","status":"publish","type":"editorial-analysis","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/ensuring-social-justice-in-the-bureaucracy","title":{"rendered":"Ensuring social justice in the bureaucracy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During a parliamentary address on July 29, 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/leader-of-opposition-in-india\/\">Rahul Gandhi (Leader of Opposition)<\/a> <\/span><b>highlighted the absence of SC\/ST officers in framing the 2024 Budget proposal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, noting that only one officer from the minorities and one from the OBC category were among the 20 involved. <\/span><b>He emphasised the lack of representation of marginalised communities in key policy-making roles.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Union Finance Minister responded by pointing out similar absences in the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust and Foundation, turning the issue into a political exchange. This issue highlights the <\/span><b>ongoing challenge of ensuring social justice and inclusivity in government institutions.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Reasons for Underrepresentation of SC\/ST and Vulnerable Communities in Key Policy-Making or Bureaucracy<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Upper Caste Domination: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One significant factor is the<\/span><b> continuing domination of upper castes at senior levels of the civil service<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.9987%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">Data reveals that, out of 322 officers holding posts of Joint Secretaries and Secretaries under the Central Staffing Scheme, only 16 belong to the SC category, 13 to the ST category, 39 to the OBC category, and 254 to the General category.<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Eligibility and Age Factor: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Civil service examination eligibility varies by category:<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>General Category Candidates:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ages 21 to 32 years, with six attempts allowed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>SC\/ST candidates:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ages up to 37 years, with unlimited attempts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>OBC candidates<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Ages up to 35 years, with nine attempts.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ages up to 42 years, with unlimited attempts for SC\/ST and nine attempts for other categories.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to these age limits, SC\/ST and PwBD candidates often join the civil service<\/span><b> later and may retire before reaching senior positions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, affecting their career progression. The age factor creates a disparity, <\/span><b>as those who join at a younger age have more time to advance, regardless of performance.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>What Can Be Done?<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To address these issues, the focus should <\/span><b>shift from age of entry to efficiency and competence.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Implementing a fixed tenure for all civil service entrants, irrespective of their age of entry, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">could help. A suggested tenure might be 35 years<\/span><b>.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we consider retirement before age 70, the age limits could be adjusted to ensure retirement around 67 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, <\/span><b>stringent medical fitness examinations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> could be introduced <\/span><b>after age 62.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given that the average age of men and women is rising in India, <\/span><b>extended or reappointment opportunities for qualified SC\/ST officers <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can be allowed to further enhance their presence in key positions.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>For instance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, individuals like<\/span><b> Ajit Doval (National Security Advisor) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">continue to hold influential positions post-retirement. This way increasing representation of eligible SC\/ST officers in senior roles even beyond traditional retirement age can be feasible.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensuring inclusivity and social justice in the bureaucracy and other top government institutions is crucial for equitable policy-making and governance. Diverse representation at senior levels ensures that a broad spectrum of perspectives is considered, leading to fairer and more comprehensive policy outcomes. It is essential to fulfil the dream of<\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/viksit-bharat\/\"> Viksit Bharat<\/a>, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with social justice for all and create opportunities for all communities to contribute effectively to national governance.<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.131%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 138.029%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4935%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4935%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-previous-year-papers?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Previous+Year+Papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4935%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-test-series-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Test Series 2024<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Current Affairs Quiz<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4935%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Main Answer Writing<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 138.029%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+CSE+Books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During a parliamentary address on July 29, 2024, Rahul Gandhi (Leader of Opposition) highlighted the absence of SC\/ST officers in framing the 2024 Budget proposal, noting that only one officer from the minorities and one from the OBC category were among the 20 involved. He emphasised the lack of representation of marginalised communities in key&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/ensuring-social-justice-in-the-bureaucracy\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Ensuring social justice in the bureaucracy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":126812,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2084],"subject":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/126571"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/editorial-analysis"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126571"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/126571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126632,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/126571\/revisions\/126632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126571"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=126571"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=126571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}