Narayana Murthy wants IAS, IPS officers from B-schools instead of UPSC; 'No, thanks', rebuts top bureaucrat
Infosys, has drawn significant criticism after suggesting that India’s civil services could benefit from recruiting officers directly from business schools instead of relying solely on the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Speaking at the CNBC-TV18 Global Leadership Summit on November 14, Murthy argued that India's bureaucracy should shift from an «administrative mindset» to a «management mindset.» According to Murthy, the current system of governance, which is based on the UPSC examination process, produces civil servants who are trained to maintain the status quo rather than to bring about innovation, vision, and rapid execution.
Murthy's Vision for a Management-Oriented Civil Service
Murthy explained that administration is focused on preserving the existing system, while management is driven by a forward-looking vision that embraces high aspirations. He suggested that the Indian government needs civil servants who can innovate, control costs, and execute policies efficiently to keep pace with the changing demands of governance. In his view, the traditional UPSC process, which produces officers trained in general administration, fails to meet the evolving challenges of public governance.
Murthy further stated, “The administration is all about the status quo. On the other hand, management is all about vision and high aspiration. It’s about achieving the plausible impossible.” He argued that civil servants trained in management, particularly from business schools, would be better suited to handle the rapidly changing landscape of governance, which increasingly requires the skills of innovation, vision-setting, and agility in execution.
