The bureaucracy in India has been a study in contradictions. On the one hand, it represents the
dream job for an entire population of Indians who take the UPSC examination to join the ‘steel
frame’, keeping the country running. On the other hand, it is rife with tales of corruption and red
tape, such that citizens dread any interaction with government officials of any order.
Curated by veteran bureaucrat, former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai,
Transforming the Steel Frame: Promise and Paradox of Civil Service Reform examines the roles and
responsibilities of the bureaucracy in modern times. It sets forth a vision of the future through an
analysis and review of past attempts at reform, in the process revisiting the strengths of the systems
as well as the flaws that prevent its optimal functioning. It includes the perspective of former civil
servants who have been a part of this system for their entire lives and reflect on its problems while
making recommendations for the future; officials who have participated in setting evaluation standards
for the civil services and who have headed training academies and businesspersons who have worked
both in the private and public domains and collaborated extensively with the bureaucracy.
In the breadth and thoroughness of its coverage, Transforming the Steel Frame provides an excellent
overview of the civil services as they are and, more importantly, as they should be. The study that
forms part of this book has been initiated by the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University
of Singapore.