The Featured Civil Servant of The Week - Dr. Aruna Sharma,IAS

Dr (Ms) Aruna Sharma, IAS, 1982 Batch – Madhya Pradesh Cadre, a distinguished Civil Servant, kindly consented to share her experiences. Here are excerpts of her interview given to  The Indian Civil Servant (TICS):

TICS: How did you get into civil services? What motivated you to appear for Civil Services? Tell us something about yourself?

ARUNA SHARMA: It's more of the destiny that how I got into the service. Because I was a science student and initially my entire schooling, my thought process was to pursue medicine and while pursuing the medicine, somehow in a week’s time I decided not to pursue it and came back. I did my graduation. We were living in Hyderabad as my father was posted there. We had a neighbor who was Director in the Andhra government. Once he called me and asked me what I think about civil services. I was not aware of the civil services as my whole family is of professionals, engineers, and doctors. So definitely I asked what it is. So next day he took me to the Secretariat and he made me meet some senior Govt officers. That's the time I decided okay, this is one career I will love to pursue and then I prepared for it. 

TICS: What message you would like to give young aspirants who want to appear for UPSC-civil services?

ARUNA SHARMA: Actually, What it needs is a systematic and intelligent study not the long hours because here it is more of the analytical capacity of an individual which is getting tested rather than academic brilliance. It's not a reproduction of rote memory, definitely not. Of course you have to be equipped with facts to properly analyze or properly argue out a statement and that is what matters? And that is what enabled me to succeed. I opted for history and psychology as my subjects in competitive exams, which I had never studied as a student in my college as subjects. I was All India 12th rank in 1982 which is quite an achievement as even at that time 3-4 lakh young boys and girls used to appear for civil services.

TICS: Tell us about your journey in civil service, your contributions and areas where you could make a difference?

ARUNA SHARMA: When I entered the bureaucracy, I think I was too young, too raw. But one thing I was very clear that this is one service I would love to do. It gave wider experience, a lot of use of common sense. Let me tell you that your correct decision makes the whole difference. That really prevailed over me right in the beginning and that sailed me through in the entire service. That’s the beauty of the service. I put it this way because if you have a holistic approach you are able to take a correct decision that has very widespread consequences. When the right decision is taken definitely, it adds to the growth. 

TICS: How do you reach out to people to mitigate their grievances?

ARUNA SHARMA: The beauty of civil service, I will always say is one must always tour and visit the site to have firsthand knowledge. I used to tour a lot. I believe that whether you are at the beginning of your career or when you rise through in your career, what you experience when you visit or what you see yourself enables you to have a very correct and appropriate understanding of the situation. It was fun being young, exploring, learning, learning from everybody for that matter. So it was a very, very interesting experience I would say.

TICS: Let us know your journey in civil service: the positions you held in the Madhya Pradesh and Govt of India.

ARUNA SHARMA: I came to Ministry of rural development, Government of India went back, then If I look at the career graph of a civil servant, we have a sequence of postings. You join as a sub-divisional officer (SDO), and then you become Additional Collector and then collector. As you move on you literally work with all the departments, so you have irrigation, drainage, road constructions, agriculture and you have consolidated convergent thinking to optimize the results. So that was, I think, a big learning ground for me to think Holistic and converge all the concepts.

Then I was a district collector for more than 5 years spread over 3 districts. I was Commissioner of Public Relations, Secretary to Chief Minister. I came to the Government of India in the Ministry of rural development, health, home, and the human rights commission. That was another stage when there was a shift in my thought process. All along, you know I had a concept of a “Mai Baap” where you deliver, you give to people. But working in the human rights commission literally made me realize that it is mandatory that we deliver to the people. It is the right of the people and we have an official position to make it happen. Then I was Director General Doordarshan in the tough times of Commonwealth Games. Finally I was Secretary Information Technology and then as Secretary Steel in Govt of India before I superannuated after completion of 38 years of service career.

TICS: What challenges you think civil servants are facing today to deal with a dynamic environment?

ARUNA SHARMA: If I see a common thread, I say all my postings had a challenge everywhere. In many places the sector was in crises and I had the opportunity to revive it and that’s where I learned to establish the systems. I was quite happy that the system approach enables sustainability. The sectors where are worked are still doing very well, have a future of doing very well, for whatever we establish has become literally like a very good version and then of course for everybody to improve upon it. The society needs the best in every sector, right? So it is very important you need a very good doctor, you need a very good engineer, you need very good thinking IT professionals, defense personnel, agriculturists, so everywhere you need these people. IAS or civil services is for those people who all have the capability to observe across different sectors and capability to go for holistic thinking.. 

TICS: What are your views about having generalist versus professionalists in civil services?

ARUNA SHARMA: There has been a lot of debate between having the professionals or generalists but generalists always have an edge because they go for holistic thinking besides the sector, so definitely, their decisions are more comprehensive. Similarly, previously you had a system, you are a district magistrate, who will order whether to open firing or not? So it was like somebody akin to a 3rd party and chances of a wrong decision making are few. Then the same person you know deciding everything and therefore you had this balancing of the system in the career. Then when you gradually go senior, definitely your ability to read, your ability to observe, you are tested for that in the civil service, and your exposure what you get across the sectors enables you to handle any sector in life.

For example as a Steel secretary, I was able to revive the entire steel sector although I am not a steel manufacturer, nor did I belong to that sector. 

TICS: How does a civil servant acquire skills for good governance?

ARUNA SHARMA: I will say that civil service is meant for those who have the ability or inclination to be inquisitive and innovative. Definitely you don't have required skills right in the beginning and as you grow you acquire skills. One good thing about IAS-Civil services, I will say is, you are a constant learner. So every day and everywhere you are learning, you are expanding and that goes a long way.

TICS: Tell us about your latest book “You@ Game Changer”

ARUNA SHARMA: My latest book (You@ Game Changer for Inclusive Growth) is in the market. Like you know, I was instrumental in putting the convergence concept into the Government. This book is meant for elected representatives because I find many a time they are not aware of abbot plethora of Government schemes. The mistake is with us also. You know the different amounts of money like Rs 70 Lakh approximately going to a village panchayat in a year. Ther are more than 4 lakh village panchayats in India. We give this amount in so many installments that the panchayats are not able to think big. So they end up making a small street lane or wall or a gate or pond for a village. Now you need to do several works in a village to call it a smart village. For instance, the village should have every lane cement concrete with drains, pipe drinking water system, clean water to supply, Pakka House, and toilets for all. In addition, you should have a proper school building, proper playgrounds, and toilets in the schools, facilities for medical care, road infrastructure etc. My thesis is, if I put all this together and if you list it out and plan it out, the money is available. I repeat that the money is available. You can do it only by way of convergence of all available resources. You can combine money coming from central Government under the Finance Commission, State Finance Commissions, and schemes like MGNREGA. You can do this conveniently. The same applies to the wards in the urban towns. I think Indians have to now come out with that we will not accept anything which is substandard. Money is the least of the problem. Money is available and my entire book is to remove that cataract from the eye of the people and allocate this money between good performing states and bad performing states. Once implemented, you will see the difference yourself. This is what we are talking about in that book.

TICS: Most bureaucrats tend to feel dull after retirement. How blissful is your post-retirement life?  

ARUNA SHARMA: I am a contented person. Post-retirement of my 38 years of service, I took a conscious decision that I need a break, a little freedom, so I picked up threads of my hobbies. I have been playing piano and Kathak and what amazed me is that you do not forget skills even after years gone by. The second thing is that I have divided my time into three parts. I continue to work on my core sectors that are information technology, finance, and steel. Second I am working on the development sector. And thirdly, I have started working on the environment sector. My concept on the environment is not to ban products. Look, I am not saying ban plastic ban this or that. I say that let's follow waste to the product concept. So use plastics for the construction of roads, you know for better grip, that way you have to work upon so one side you do you start reducing making of fewer than 30 microns plastics, but another side, you must find a usage instead of putting them in the dump yard. So that kind of a thing I am working more. Another interesting area is water management. We always cry water scarcity. We should stop saying that water scarcity is an issue; water management is an issue. The moment we change the word our thinking changes. I am trying to work on these sectors now and yes some free time for myself too. 

TICS: You have been a part of the great journey of India’s progress from developing to a developed nation. Any more inspiring words?

ARUNA SHARMA: The Young of India should learn to question. It is very important for them to question, question themselves, question the Government, and question their neighborhood. Very important. You are 1.3 billion people so being 1.3 billion populations it is equally important that you create an image for India for future generations to help them use it as a stepping stone. So whether you want to be a crowd or want to be a leader is a choice with you. And luckily, we have all the potential, and nature has blessed us, so any wrong decision needs to be questioned, debated upon, and be logical about it because ultimately it is your future. Moreover, 60% of the population is less than 30 years. India’s youth can't afford to be a liability; it has to be an asset, so I tell the youth. And most importantly, you must acquire knowledge and there is a difference between information and knowledge. So please acquire knowledge and decide and follow the right path.