Sociologica

If you talk to an average tax paying India, chances are that they do not use any govt. services. Their children go to a pvt school. They go to pvt hospitals. They do not use the state bus service. But most of them are very eager to get a govt. job for their progeny. In fact they will push their children to spend mind-boggling effort and the prime years of their life to 'cracking' a govt exam. In the dowry market (such things still exist), the value of the dowry increases significantly if the groom has a 'sarkari naukri'. So this is dichotomous. Sarkari is usually a word reserved for low-quality, poor-service and a laid-back attitude. But add 'Naukri' to that word and most will say it is the best thing in the world. 

The reasons are not difficult to fathom. 

1. A sarkari Naukri gives 'izzat'. Read that as the ability to boss around people. The state is still very powerful and any job that gives you the 'power' over people is coveted.  The rules are such that no entity can every hope to be 100% compliant and you can always find something amiss. You can be a petty functionary say in the labour department but you have the power to summon the CHRO of a large private company. You can be a police constable and walk into any restaurant and have the owner offer you a complimentary meal. So this insane power given by the structure of our govt, laws and the arbitrary discretion it puts in the hand of petty govt functionaries not only gives you a sense of "power" but the ability of your parents and relatives to brag about to others.

2. You can never be fired for performance - unless you are completely mired in corruption which is (rarely) discovered, you cannot be let go. You can be sent to difficult postings in insalubrious places but no one can fire you. You can report to office at 11.30 AM and not return after lunch but no one will bother about your 'attendance' and performance. Yes your annual confidential report will be written but that has hardly any bearing on your salary. Keeping the right decision makers happy will accelerate your career but broadly everyone has to wait their turn at a promotion. The increments are fixed and determined by the wage tribunals or finance commissions. If the party in power wants to score a few political points, you will get your DA increases on time every year.

3. You will have a pension and medical for life : This is one the best perks of a govt job. Unlike a private sector employee, you will never have to build a retirement corpus. You get a % of your last drawn salary. Of course, there was the NPS and now the UPS which at least links some part of your pension to the market but given a choice you will choose a guaranteed sum of money for LIFE. You will also get huge subsidies in hospital for yourself and your family forever. Imagine a life free of retirement planning or medical insurance premiums.

4. The opportunity to make ill-gotten gains - this is I believe the most important part. While corruption at the very top might have lessened, it is certainly rampant at the lower levels. The 1000 Rs slipped to a clerk. The note given to a policeman are things that we do not even bat an eyelid. Also, all this income is tax free and if you give the right share up the chain, chances are you will be shielded.

5. Last but not least things like accommodation will be provided in most cases. You will never have to negotiate with overbearing landlords, insane deposits and the constant fear of being kicked-out at short notice. 

So, while a sarkari office will rarely give you a swanky office, engagement with a good manager or meaning (barring if you are an IAS where your decisions affect a district of millions), but you are pretty much set for life. What's not to love for so little work and accountability. Proves theory X in some ways.

# posted by Abhijat @ 11:32 PM