INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM: SALIENT FEATURES
Chapter – 2

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
- The interrelationship between the state and society has been a key theme in the evolution of political systems over the past half century.
- It is now an accepted fact that the state is embedded in society, and societal variables affect the autonomy and performance of the state.
- Scholars like system theorists, dependency theorists, and ecologists of public administration agree that interactions between the state, its socio-political structures, and its administrative framework ultimately determine policy outcomes.
- These interactions help shape societal preferences and influence political and administrative developments, especially in the context of divisiveness within and between classes, ethnic and religious segments, interest groups, or linguistic differences.
- Literature on comparative public administration highlights the interaction between an administrative system and its external environment.
- The socio-cultural values of a society impact bureaucratic behavior, political and administrative changes, and vice versa.
- While much focus has been placed on the state’s capacity to bring about socio-economic change, less attention has been given to understanding the impact of socio-political structures on political or administrative development.
THE INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIES
- India was one of the first British colonies to gain independence in 1947.
- The challenge for the political leadership was to create a strategy for change, development, and nation-building.
- The task was to achieve economic and political development while reconstructing a fragmented social structure, rooted in age-old traditions.
- The four basic objectives of socio-economic and political development were:
- Creation of a stable democratic polity,
- Laying the foundations of a self-reliant economy for rapid growth,
- Attainment of social justice through the elimination of discrimination based on class, caste, sex, and religion, and eradication of poverty,
- Rebuilding the administrative structure to withstand growing demands and aspirations of the masses.
- India’s leadership created a state system based on western liberal democratic ideology and economic planning.
- Parliamentary system of government was adopted, reconciling it with economic planning and administrative reform.
- India successfully created an elaborate State system with speed, institutionalizing a democratic structure.
- Early agreements on the fundamentals, such as the Motilal Nehru Committee‘s 1928 recommendations, provided a foundation for the country’s polity.
- The recommendations included a parliamentary form, federal structure, and fundamental rights, all of which were supported by the Constituent Assembly in the 1940s.
- Decision-making on India’s institutional strategy was not solely based on the national movement agreements but also involved new considerations and compromises.
- Serious disagreements arose in the Constituent Assembly, but compromises were found on issues like the federal structure, judiciary’s role, and due process.
- Key debates included the balance between personal liberties and national integrity, property rights vs. economic development, and centralization vs. decentralization.
- Restraints on power were introduced to maintain the unity of the country, such as effective powers for the Central Government against states.
- Preventive detention was accepted despite its restrictions on fundamental rights as necessary for strengthening government power.