New Delhi, June 27 -- Ajitabh Sharma, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, has sparked a conversation on LinkedIn with his candid take on the often-overlooked realities of civil service work culture.

Now appointed as Principal Secretary, Energy Department, Government of Rajasthan, Sharma shared reflections on how bureaucrats spend most of their time away from what he calls "core work."

In a post that has struck a chord with many, Sharma writes, "In IAS, any assignment ain't no difficult! I have often heard colleagues creating this narrative in governance." But he adds with characteristic wit, "I've always found it difficult-not because of the assignment, but because of this narrative."

According to Sharma, more than 80% of ...