The Indian administrative service, which is crippled by excessive political interference and outdated personnel procedures need urgent reform and refinement according to a top US-based Think tank.

“The Indian government should reshape recruitment and promotion processes, improve performance-based assessment of individual officers, and adopt safeguards that promote accountability while protecting bureaucrats from political meddling,” said the report authored by Milan Vaishnav and Saksham Khosla.

Calling for a reform line up for the civil services, the US think tank also suggested that the state and the central governments should pass and implement pending legislation that protect bureaucrats against politically motivated transfers and postings.

“While the present government has moved in this direction, this procedure should be institutionalized,” it recommended.