Public Services as a Career Choice

Ranjan K Baruah

We know the importance of public services as they are the foundation of development in any democracy. Public servants are engaged in providing health care, teaching in schools and colleges or universities, building and maintaining vital infrastructure, ensuring safety, and serving and protecting the citizens.

In most democratic countries, public trust in government increased by a few percentage points from 2020 to 2022, maintaining around 42-43%. However, it is still nearly 10% lower than in 1995. International aid positively impacts 52 out of 74 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators, significantly contributing to progress on SDG indicators 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, and 17. The cost of servicing public debt as a percentage of revenue is higher now than ever before.

The United Nations Public Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. On 20 December 2002, the General Assembly designated 23 June as Public Service Day by adopting resolution 57/277.

To bolster recognition of the Day and the value of public service, the United Nations established the UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA) programme in 2003, which was reviewed in 2016 to align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The award is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide.

There is no doubt that effective, accountable and inclusive institutions are essential to achieving the SDGs. This is recognized by SDG 16 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. One of the best ways in a country like India is to join the civil services and contribute as public servants for positive social transformation. Many students aspire to become civil servants but it needs a lot of preparation and planning to be successful as a civil servant in India.

Any graduate may appear in the Civil Services Aptitude Test conducted by the Union Public Service commission. The pattern of exams includes prelims, mains and interview. The details about the exam are available on the website of UPSC. Similarly in case of state selection, the selection is done by the state boards but the syllabus and pattern is more or less same as the UPSC’s pattern.

Aspirants need to be serious and invest in time to crack the civil services examination which is conducted every year. Aspirants may prepare at an early age and after graduation they may focus more on the examination. Sometimes taking coaching from reputed institutions also helps in clearing doubts but at the initial stage one needs to start preparing with basic text books. Efficient public servants or bureaucrats are important for the growth of any nation or society.

There are many courses which would help aspirants to effectively work as public servants and one of the courses is public administration. There are many other courses or subjects which can be opted by the aspirants who would like to contribute in the field of public services. One must be skilled to be successful in the field of public services. The job opportunities in the government sector are always rewarding which attracts many young people to become civil servants or get engaged in the field of public services.