Bhubaneswar, April 24 -- Each year, as India observes the Civil Services Day, it pauses-at least formally-to reflect on the role of its bureaucracy. The occasion recalls a foundational promise: that India would be served by a permanent, politically neutral civil service, committed to upholding the law "without fear or favour." This vision, articulated with clarity by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, imagined the civil service as the steel frame of governance-steady, impartial, and resilient.

Yet, contemporary experience invites a more uneasy reflection. Recent episodes in Odisha-whether concerning the massive illegal exploitation of stone resources on Dankari Hill, consequent delay in handing over the area for the important Chandikhole Strategi...