BENGALURU: In a move that signals a preference for institutional memory over ad hoc decision-making, Karnataka chief minister D K Shivakumar has constituted a six-member ‘Governance Committee’ comprising retired IAS officers with high integrity to advise the government on administrative reforms, governance challenges and long-term policy direction.The committee is headed by former chief secretary S V Ranganath. Its members include retired chief secretaries T M Vijay Bhaskar and Vandita Sharma, along with former additional chief secretaries ISN Prasad and L K Atheeq. Senior IAS officer Harsh Gupta has been appointed member secretary.Sources close to the CM said it is an earnest effort by him to get the state’s bureaucratic machinery into hyper-efficiency mode and start delivering results. “This will be nothing short of the CM’s strategic think tank,” sources added.In fact, the move places Shivakumar alongside former chief ministers Ramakrishna Hegde and S M Krishna, both of whom relied on advisory groups of experienced administrators during periods of major governance transition. Hegde’s administration in the 1980s institutionalised consultation with experts while pursuing landmark Panchayati Raj reforms and decentralisation, while Krishna’s government drew heavily on retired civil servants, technocrats and industry leaders to position Bengaluru as India’s tech capital. Walking in their footsteps, Shivakumar believes that a good set of advisers would make a great difference to his image and the state.But how would retired bureaucrats bring about changes that they couldn’t or didn’t while in service?A senior serving IAS officer countered: “Retired officers come loaded with administrative experience. They would have worked across departments and political dispensations. Post-retirement, they are not constrained by departmental wrangling or political pressure. They can read the situation much better and advise in real time.”Moreover, the timing is significant. The state’s bureaucracy has become synonymous with corruption. It has reached such a stage that an ordinary panchayat development officer’s demand for a bribe from ordinary citizens has crossed the Rs 1 lakh mark, and police inspectors are reportedly paying political bosses more than Rs 1 crore for a lucrative posting.“The deterioration has accelerated in recent times, including during the previous BJP regime,” the officer pointed out.Talking about Bengaluru, the city faces a major infrastructure crisis, and the bureaucracy has neither a long-term vision nor a magic wand to change it.It is against this backdrop that Shivakumar feels a think tank could help him prioritise issues and reforms. In fact, the officers picked for the Governance Committee reflect Shivakumar’s seriousness.S V Ranganath, a 1975-batch IAS officer who retired in 2013 after serving as the state’s longest-serving chief secretary, is known for his integrity, simplicity and clarity on administrative issues. He has been the go-to person for advice for several high-profile politicians during crises and served as chief secretary under six different chief ministers. Post-retirement, he also earned appreciation in the corporate world for stabilising the Coffee Day Group after the death of its founder, V G Siddhartha.Retired IAS officer T M Vijay Bhaskar, who has an MBA, earlier served as the administrator of the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Retired chief secretary Vandita Sharma has experience working with Union ministries such as civil aviation and space, while retired IAS officer ISN Prasad is considered an expert on financial matters, including budget preparation. Another officer, L K Atheeq, is currently the financial adviser to the CM and chairman of the Bengaluru Business Corridor project. Serving IAS officer Harsh Gupta, who is the member secretary of the committee, is known for his reformist approach and integrity.Sources close to the CM said the committee will act as an early warning system by identifying bottlenecks before they become crises. It can recommend changes in administrative processes, evaluate implementation gaps, improve coordination between departments and help Shivakumar prioritise reforms with long-term impact rather than short-term political gains.For Shivakumar, the committee is both an administrative experiment and a political statement. By turning to seasoned civil servants, he is signalling that governance—not merely governance optics—will be central to the next phase of his administration, which restarted on Monday following his cabinet expansion.
