Indian Scientific Service – Need and Challenges

Why in News?

There is a raising discussion about a dedicated Indian Scientific Service to bridge the gap between administration and scientific knowledge.

Why are scientific services necessary today?

• Origins of the current system – India’s post-Independence service rules were designed to ensure stability through generalist administrators — an approach that was essential for nation-building.
• Changing Governance Needs – Over time, governance has become increasingly shaped by science, technology, and environmental challenges, as scientists began joining government service to meet these new demands.
• The Mismatch – Despite their specialised expertise, scientists remained governed by rules created for a different era, these rules were designed for administrators, not for scientific professionals.
• Impact – The mismatch has limited the effective integration of scientific expertise into governance.

Why is there a paradox between administrators and scientists?

• Recruitment Pathways – Civil services (generalist service) rely on a single, competitive exam drawing from a large pool.
• Scientific careers (specialist service) depend on years of advanced education, research, and peer review, with a smaller, highly specialised pool.
• Training & Career Progression – Administrators receive structured training aligned with governance roles.
• Scientists are placed in diverse technical portfolios without comparable frameworks for training, career growth, or authority safeguards.
• Role of Science in Policymaking – Scientific inputs in policymaking are often commissioned for immediate needs — such as legal cases or regulatory decisions — making research time-bound and narrow.
• Expanding Responsibilities – India’s governance now spans technically intensive sectors: environment, climate change, oceans, public health, disaster management, nuclear safety, biotechnology, space, and AI.
• Scientists have become indispensable to government functioning.
• Nature of Scientific Progress – Scientific progress depends on continuous inquiry, testing of evidence, and honest assessment of risks and uncertainties.
• Role in Governance – The scientist must have the ability to flag ecological risks, technological limitations, or long-term consequences in a transparent manner.
• Risks of Suppression – When scientists are unable to formally record or communicate such assessments within institutional processes, their role risks becoming symbolic rather than substantive.
• Science that cannot question policy is not science - it is a decoration.
• Global Practice – Countries like France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US have created distinct scientific cadres within government, with tailored service rules, career paths, and professional protections.
• It ensure independent, credible scientific input into policymaking rather than political convenience
  • For Example, U.S. Scientific Integrity Policies safeguard scientists from political interference, require transparent documentation, and prevent suppression of findings.

What unique challenges does India face?

• Underutilisation of Science – Until science becomes a regular partner in governance rather than a reactive tool, its full potential to improve policy and public trust will remain underused.
• Most research is not designed to improve policy effectiveness or anticipate future needs.
• Institutional Mismatch – Instead of creating a distinct institutional framework that was suited to scientific work, scientists were largely absorbed into the existing administrative system.
• Limits of Current Frameworks – While civil service rules stress discipline and neutrality, scientific work requires questioning assumptions and presenting evidence even when it challenges policy.
• Without frameworks that accommodate this, scientific inputs remain advisory rather than fully integrated into decision-making.
• Governed by Administrative Rules – Scientist continue to be governed by conduct rules, appraisal mechanisms, and hierarchies that were originally designed for general administrative functions.
• Constraints on Professional Role – Over time, this has limited the ability of scientists to exercise their professional role fully within governance structures.
• Separate Rules, Shared Constraints – Organisations like CSIR and ICAR have separate recruitment and promotion rules, but are still subject to the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, limiting scientific independence.
• Limited institutional authority – Despite strong scientific institutions and highly trained professionals, government scientists often have limited institutional authority relative to their expertise.
• Their inputs may not always carry formal weight in decision-making processes, particularly in technically complex sectors.
• Cautious communication – Scientists often communicate cautiously, document uncertainty sparingly, and are relied upon mainly during crises rather than as continuous policy partners.
• Risks of underutilization – A governance system that does not fully utilise its scientific capacity risks long-term policy weaknesses.
• Institutions for Global Aspirations – India’s aspirations, to be a leader in climate action, environmental stewardship, public health, and technology, require institutions that value scientific evidence alongside administrative efficiency.

What is the way forward?

• Creation of an Indian scientific services (ISS) – It could be a constructive way forward, the need for an ISS is no longer theoretical.
• It is a practical and timely reform to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and build more resilient governance for the future.

• Direct integration of expertise – Integrate scientific expertise more directly into governance structures.
• Shifting from Urgency to Preparedness – A stronger approach would support continuous, long-term research that anticipates emerging challenges, allowing decisions to be guided by evidence and foresight rather than urgency.
• Need for Institutional Mechanisms – Effective governance requires mechanisms that allow scientific assessments to be placed on record, even while final policy choices remain with elected authorities.
• Need a structural reform – Not additional committees or ad-hoc advisory bodies are needed, but structural reform that clearly define the role of scientists in governance and provide them with proper institutional safeguards.

What lies ahead?

• Under the current situation, India is steadily moving beyond its colonial legacy and building a confident new India.
• In this spirit, an ISS would be a forward-looking reform — much like the transformation of the Indian Civil Service after Independence — strengthening a science-driven administrative system that is aligned with India’s national aspirations and global ambitions.

Reference

The Hindu | Bridging a divide with an ‘Indian Scientific Service’