On October 1 this year, the UPSC will enter its centenary year.

Background

• Early Colonial Foundations: Battles of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764) turned the East India Company into a territorial ruler, creating the need for bureaucracy.
• Macaulay Committee (1854): Recommended merit-based recruitment through open competitive exams.
• Civil Services Commission (1855): Set up in Britain; extended to India in 1858; exams held only in London with focus on Latin and Greek.
• First Indian Entry (1863): Satyendra Nath Tagore became the first Indian to clear the ICS exam.
• Lee Commission (1924): Recommended Indianization and establishment of a Public Service Commission.
• Public Service Commission (1926): Established under the Government of India Act, 1919; Ross Barker was the first Chairperson.
• Government of India Act (1935): Proposed Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and Provincial Public Service Commissions (PPSC).
  • FPSC (1937): Established on 1 April 1937.
• Post-Independence: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel called civil services the “Steel Frame” of independent India.
• UPSC (1950): With the Constitution’s adoption, the FPSC became the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), a Constitutional Body under Articles 315–323.

Scale of UPSC

• Annual Applications: UPSC processes 33,51,000 applications annually and conducts 15 exams (11 civil, 4 defence).
• Civil Services Preliminary Exam: Approximately 10 lakh candidates appear for the Civil Services Preliminary exam each year.

Key Committees on Civil Services Reforms

• Kothari Committee (1976): Introduced the Essay paper in the civil services exam.
• Satish Chandra Committee (1989): Proposed making the interview process more objective.
• Alagh Committee (2001): Recommended the introduction of the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT).
• Hota Committee & Nigavekar Committee (2004 onwards): Suggested a range of reforms to modernize the recruitment process.

Challenges in the Current Civil Services Examination System

• Outdated Syllabus: The syllabus, last updated 12 years ago (2013), is deemed insufficient for the current era of AI and technological change, failing to prepare bureaucrats for modern challenges.
• Credibility: The Pooja Khedkar case (2024) exposed UPSC’s failure to catch fraud (fake certificates, multiple names) until media intervention, undermining public trust.
• Lack of Transparency: The interview process is often seen as a “Black Box,” lacking transparency and objectivity, leading to scope for subjective bias.
• Ethical Failure: Despite having an Ethics paper, many officials exhibit unethical behaviour (taking bribes).
• Long Process: The selection process takes approximately one year.

Way Forward

• Focus on Critical Thinking: Syllabus reform must prioritize thinking and thought process over rote knowledge.
• Leveraging Technology: AI-based evaluation and scientific tools like psychometric tests should be implemented to ensure zero tolerance for malpractices.

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