A Blow to Civil Service Ideals

A Blow to Civil Service Ideals

Article:

1. Ashok, a retired IAS officer observes that government’s recent proposal for allocation of civil services and cadres violates the law

Important analysis:

2. The Civil service Examination (CSE)is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
3. It is conducted every year in two stages: a preliminary examination and then the main examination.
4. Successful candidates are allocated services based on their ranks in the CSE and their preferences.
5. The successful candidates of the IAS, IFS, IPS and Central Services Group A undergo a 15-week foundation course in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.
6. The course focuses on promoting inter-service comradeship, cooperation, and capacity building of the officer-trainees.
7. Recently, the government has proposed that the services and cadres would be allocated based on the combined marks obtained in the CSE and the foundation course.
8. Major criticisms:

• Violates Article 320(1) of the Constitution which states that conducting the CSE is vested only on the UPSC. If the marks secured in the foundation course in the training academy are included for allocation for services, it would make the training academy an extended wing of the UPSC
• The Director of the training academy does not have constitutional protection and is a career civil servant on deputation who can be transferred. The Director and faculty members might not be able to withstand pressure from politicians, senior bureaucrats and others to favour few candidates and thus there is a huge risk of corruption in the academy
• Administratively unworkable as it might bar students to take re-examinations to improve ranks
• May lead to faulty evaluation leading to improper rankings and allocation of services and cadres
• Ignores pertaining issues which take place after recruitment. Example: unjustified and frequent transfers