Does “sir culture” hinder openness and innovation in government? Young officers say, yes it does

FOR many a young professional joining as IAS, the first challenge in adapting to the sarkari culture is the very use of the word “sir”. Many wonder, why can’t a two-year senior officer be called by the first name or by his or her surname? So, it’s not surprising that one of the young IAS officers, currently undergoing training in Mussoorie academy, took to a social media site last week to say “too much formalism” in IAS is not good for the fraternity, adding that the "sir culture" is against innovation in governance. Meet this…

Life at LBSNAA: What officer trainees like, act and play; and the photos, videos that they post

Young officers participating in a sanitation campaign in a Mussoorie village

“Lovely morning to realize that my name is after a yoga aasana!! #shashankaasana” – Shashanka Ala, a Madras IIT graduate-turned IAS of 2014 batch, posts this in a social media site. Ms Ala hails from Andhra and is now allotted Odisha cadre. Another IAS of 2014 batch Bhupesh Chaudhary, hailing from Haryana, posts a photo in Twitter with a caption saying: “One last sunrise from Dalai hill. Will miss you #Mussoorie #lbsnaa”, as the IAS officer trainees completed the phase I of their training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. Chaudhary is allotted AGMUT cadre. As young officers who are undertaking training at LBSNAA are highly active in…