Why Indian bureaucrats make poor participants in the policy process

2G judgment suggests that many bureaucrats have poor application, inadequate interest and are unwilling to be active participants in the policy process. This is arguably also unethical

The recent court verdict on the decade-old 2G spectrum licensing controversy opens a window into public management in India and suggests an alarming lack of policy direction and incapacity for policy detailing.

A key focus of telecom policy was to regulate licensing. In 2003 the Union cabinet allowed service providers to upgrade technology and migrate to more of India’s 22 telecom regions. The norm of selecting licensees for 2G spectrum was on a “first come, first served” basis. By 2007 the telecom regulator recommended that there should be no limits on the number of operators, and a flood of licence