Government & intellect

Does government work require less intellect than other jobs? This, at least, was what Commerce Secretary S R Rao jokingly suggested at an event on India-Pakistan trade last week. Rao was praising an ex-Indian Administrative Service colleague who has now joined a major think tank. Rao said his friend was more intellectual than he was and he had proved it by leaving a government job. "I am sure he is more intellectual than I am, which is probably why I am still in a government job while he left it a long time ago and moved on," he said.