Hyderabad: Amid rising concerns over frequent transfers of IAS and IPS officers, the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council has called for a fixed minimum tenure of three years for bureaucrats, particularly those serving in urban local bodies, to ensure continuity and accountability in governance.In its report, ‘India’s Hidden Urbanisation & Its Policy Implications’, the EAC recommended that officials be given clear, measurable targets, with promotions and incentives linked to performance. It also suggested exploring alternative administrative arrangements in case of delays in urban local body elections, so governance does not suffer. The report highlights a structural imbalance in city administration: Mayors largely play ceremonial roles, while real decision-making rests with bureaucrats such as municipal commissioners. However, frequent transfers disrupt policy continuity, resulting in short, disconnected tenures that weaken governance outcomes. Harsha Sharma, a former director of public policy at the Administrative Staff College of India and current director of Giri Institute of Development Studies in Lucknow said frequent transfers affect execution of policies and schemes.“There is a long-standing issue regarding the need for IAS officers to be given a minimum tenure of three years. NITI Aayog and earlier the Planning Commission have also pointed out this point in the past. Transferring officials within six months across states has become a common practice. However, these officers need at least six months to understand the issues at hand. As key executors of policies, they often fail to think long-term due to frequent changes and transfers,” Sharma told TOI.Sharma has worked extensively with the Prime Minister’s office in selecting the winners of the SOCH awards, which recognise excellence in public governance, primarily involving bureaucrats. Absence of stabilityAlthough a 2014 reform proposed a minimum two-year tenure, it has seen limited implementation. The absence of stability, coupled with a lack of performance-based incentives, has led many officers to prioritise routine compliance over proactive development. With little reward for taking initiative—and greater risk of accountability—bureaucrats tend to avoid decisions that go beyond their mandated duties. Incentives with outcomesTo address this, the EAC emphasised aligning incentives with outcomes to encourage more engaged and responsible administration. It also proposed a roadmap to formally recognise rapidly urbanising areas by establishing or upgrading urban local bodies based on current population and infrastructure data. This includes elevating advanced town panchayats and municipalities into full-fledged municipal corporations to better manage migration and economic growth. Further, the report stressed the need to strengthen urban governance by linking access to central development schemes with reforms in urban local bodies, including the timely conduct of elections.
