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Here is an essay on the ‘Recruitment System in India’ for class 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on the ‘Recruitment System in India’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on the Recruitment System in India
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Introduction to Recruitment System
- Essay on the Salient Features of New Scheme of Examination as per Kothari Report
- Essay on the Criticism of New Recruitment System
- Essay on the Changes in New Recruitment System made by Hota Committee 2004
- Essay on the Recommendations of Hota Committee
- Essay on the Defects in Recruitment System
Essay # 1. Introduction to the Recruitment System:
In India, services are classified into three major categories:
(i) All-India,
(ii) Central and
(iii) State Services.
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The All-India Services as provided in the Constitution are the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service, the successor services to the ICS and IPS of the British days. Recently, a few more All-India Services had been added in the technical fields, viz., Indian Medical Service, Indian Statistical Service, Indian Engineering Service.
The All – India Services are common to the Union and the States and are composed of officers who are in the exclusive employ of neither and may at any time be at the disposal of either.
In a Federation usually, the Central Government and the Governments of constituent States have separate services for the administration of subjects falling within their respective spheres of jurisdiction. The creation of All-India Services in our country is, therefore, something peculiar.
Dr. Ambedkar, while explaining reasons for making this extraordinary provision for the creation of All-India Services had remarked, “The Indian administration, though, a dual polity, will have dual Service, but with one exception. It is recognized that in every country there are certain posts in its administrative set-up which might be called strategic from the point of view of maintaining the standard of administration. There can be no doubt that the standard of administration depends upon the calibre of the civil servants who are appointed to these strategic posts. The Constitution provides that without depriving the States of their right to form their own Civil Services there shall be an All-India Service recruited on All-India basis with common qualifications, with uniform scale of pay and members of which alone could be appointed to these strategic posts throughout the Union.”
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The Central Services are concerned with the administration of Union subjects such as Foreign Affairs, Defence, Income Tax, Customs, Posts and Telegraphs, etc. Such services at present are 34 class I and 25 class II in number and the Government of India have proposals for the constitution- of a number of other Central Services under consideration.
The officers of these Services are exclusively in the employ of the Union Government.
The State Services administer the subjects within the jurisdiction of the States such as Land Revenue, Agriculture, Forest, Education, Health, etc., and the officers of these Services are exclusively in the employ of their State Governments.
Recruitment to All-India Services is made by the Union Public Service Commission on the basis of a competitive examination supplemented by a viva-voce test. Only a university graduate of Art, Science or holding equivalent qualifications can appear in such examinations. The written examination is in-fact of a standard higher than that of graduation.
Prior to June, 1979 examination the syllabus for the IAS examination consisted of three compulsory papers viz. essay, general English and general knowledge, each carrying a maximum of 150 marks. Out of a number of optional papers, only three papers of 600 marks were to be offered by all services except the IPS for which only two papers of 400 marks were to be offered.
The candidates who competed for the IAS and IFS had to offer two additional subjects out of another list of subjects carrying 200 marks each. Those candidates who qualified in the written test, were called for interview which carried 400 marks for IAS and IFS and 300 marks for other examinations. In the initial stages passing the viva was indispensable.
A candidate failing in viva was declared a failure. At a later stage it was undone. Besides there were no minimum qualifying marks. Whatever marks a candidate secured in the interview, began to be added to the marks obtained in the written examination. Thereafter, the Commission recommended the list of the selected candidates in order of merit to the government.
Essay # 2. Salient Features of New Scheme of Examination as per Kothari Report:
The much publicized and highly controversial scheme for the civil service examination appeared in comprehensive details in January, 1979. In fact, the basic framework of Kothari Committee Report of 1976 was accepted by Government of India in December, 1978. Hence June, 1979 examination was conducted accordingly.
Its salient features are as follows:
(a) There is to be a single examination for IAS, IFS, IPS and other allied services,
(b) The maximum age limit is 28. Since 1986, the maximum age limit was reduced to 26 years and minimum 21.
(c) A candidate can make maximum three attempts,
(d) The examination is to be conducted in two stages—preliminary (objective type) and the Main Examination. Only those who qualify in the preliminary examination will be allowed to appear for the Main examination,
(e) The preliminary examination to serve as a screening test to select the limited number of members who should be allowed to appear for the Main Examination.
The marks secured in the Preliminary Examination was not to be counted for determining the final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted for the main examination was to be about ten times the total number of vacancies to be filled up.
The Preliminary Examination was to consist of two papers of objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 450 marks, as detailed below:
Paper I – General studies, 150; Paper II…one subject to be chosen from a list of 22 subjects, 300 marks…Those 19 subjects are Agriculture, Botany, Chemistry, Commerce, Economics, Engineering (Civil, Electrical or Mechanical), Geography, Geology, Indian History, Law, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology and Zoology.
Both the question papers were to be of the objective type. The question papers were to be set in Hindi as well as English. The course content of the syllabi for, the optional subject was to be of the degree level.
(f) Main Examination:
The written Examination was to consist of the following subjects:
Paper I – One of the Indian languages to be selected by the candidates from the languages included in the Eighth schedule to the constitution. The languages mentioned in this schedule were Assamese, Bengali, Gujrati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya. Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
Paper II – English.
Paper III and IV—general studies of 300 marks each.
Papers, V, VI, VII, VIII – Any two subjects were to be selected from the list of the 23 optional subjects. Each subject was to have two papers of 300 marks each; Interview Test was to carry 250 marks. The optional subjects could be answered in the regional language as well. The question papers were set only in English and Hindi.
On the recommendations of Satish Chandra Committee Report an Essay paper of 200 marks was introduced and marks for interview were raised to 300.
The papers on Indian languages and English was to be of Matriculation or equivalent standards and will be of qualifying nature. The marks secured in these papers were not counted for ranking.
The Interview Test was required to aim at assessing the personal suitability of the candidate for the service. In broad terms, the test was to assess not only his intellectual qualities but also social traits and his interest in current affairs. The qualities to be judged in such an interview were mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity. The technique of the interview was not that of a cross examination but a purposive conversation which was expected to reveal the mental calibre and other traits of character of the candidates.
Immediately, after the interview, the candidate would be required to write a ‘resume’ summarising the discussion in the course of the interview. The candidate was allowed 15 minutes for the purpose. The marks obtained in the written examination as well as in the Interview were added and final merit list was then prepared on that basis. The candidates were allowed three chances for the Civil service examination. The scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes candidates were allowed to take the examination without any restriction on the number of chances subject to prescribed age limit for them.
Essay # 3. Criticism of the New Recruitment System:
The New System of Examination, was bit free from earlier defects:
1. The conduct of all India examination in 18 regional languages is likely to result in impairing further the national unity which already stood on last legs.
An editorial note so states, “When the crying need of the hour is unity and solidarity to preserve our hard won independence and freedom, our narrow minded, language blinded, vote hungry politicians have decided to cut the knot which has been binding all our states together.”
2. Uniformity of standard of marking was not possible at all. It was involved in the appointment of a minimum of 13,500 examiners as 30 optional and compulsory subjects were to be answered in 18 different languages.
Even if these examiners remained impartial, it was impossible to achieve uniformity in assessment and evaluation of the answers. A mediocre or average answer in one language might have been considered as outstanding in the other.
3. Regional and linguistic rivalries are apt to play their nasty role. Objective and standard evaluation of answer books could be vitiated by the language enthusiasts.
4. Training of such officers in the Academy could also pose a problem. Instructions were to be imparted in all the 15 languages.
5. The officers selected and trained through the media of these languages were to be appointed only at a place where their language is in vogue. Thus the mobility now available in these services was supposed to be lost and the very purpose of all India services stood defeated.
6. The screening Test which emphasizes objective-type general knowledge paper will be heavily weighted in favour of the urban candidates at the cost of the students from rural areas.
7. The examiners marking the answer books within a particular language may be partisan and be induced to give maximum marks to the students writing in their regional language.
8. The interval between the main examination and post training test was said to be too brief to make the service fiction finally objective. It was long enough for the blue-eyed boys and girls to mobilize support and gain entry into prestigious service.
However, the new system was definitely an improvement upon the previous system on the following grounds:
(i) A preliminary objective type of test weeded out candidates who were not competent to compete for the main examination;
(ii) A single scheme of recruitment for all services IAS, IPS and Allied eradicated inflated ego of IAS and IPS as the candidates of these two services was not to appear in two additional papers reflecting the superiority of these services over the rest;
(iii) The so called personality test through viva was not to carry the same importance as was attached to it earlier. The marks of viva have been reduced considerably. Evidently if a candidate did well in written exam and did not fare so well in the viva, he could at least get selected.
The students with rural background and those studying in comparatively unimportant colleges could hope to get into coveted service if they work hard and possessed grasp over the subjects. Since 1999, the age qualification has been raised to 30 years.
Besides the Union Public Service Commission and State Public Service Commissions, there is Railway Service Commission for recruitment to Indian Railways. The Statutory Corporations like Life Insurance Corporation, DVC, Indian Airlines Corporation, etc., have their own personnel agencies charged with the function of recruiting the required personnel.
The recruitment to civil services in India as we have said above was made through open competitive examinations and was solely based on the merit principle which was determined through a written examination and viva voce yet all the appointments were not always made on the basis of written examination. Direct recruitment is not the rule.
A certain proportion of posts varying from service to service is reserved for being filled up by promotion from below. Recently this percentage has been increased from 20 per cent to 30 per cent. The Commission is also consulted about the suitability of the candidate while filling the post by promotion.
Essay # 4. Changes in New Recruitment System made by Hota Committee 2004:
On February 4, 2004 under the chairmanship of P.C. Hota ex-chairman UPSC a committee was appointed to examine whole gamut of civil service reforms and to make suitable recommendations to the Government. The committee submitted Report to the cabinet secretary on July 30, 2004.
The committee aimed at recommending the ways of making the civil services responsive, transparent and accountable! It had also to shield the services from undue pressure of Politicians administrative supervisors and the vested interests. The committee made fairly significant recommendations as under.
Essay # 5. Recommendations of Hota Committee:
1. Age of entry in the services should be 21 to 24 years as was the case till 1971 instead of 21 to 30 years for general candidates.
2. The midterm appraisal of officers and the removal of those who are unfit to continue because of impeachable integrity or incompetence.
3. Modification of official secrets Act was also suggested to enhance the number of women in higher civil services and to frame rules and lay down procedures to provide a clean honest and transparent administration.
4. Cadre allocation and home cadre allocation was taken up.
However the UPA government has not accepted some of its vital recommendations regarding age restrictions. The age for the general candidates is between 21 and 30 years, upper age for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes is extended up to 5 years and 3 years for OBC, disabled Defence services personnel, 10 years in case of blind, deaf mute and orthopedically handicapped.
It is extendable up to 5 years for ex-servicemen who have rendered 5 years service at least as on August 1, 2008; (in all over cases).
The Government had supported the idea of holding entrance examination after XII class. This was laudable idea to catch officer young and train them up. Even P.H. supported it but nothing has come out of it so far.
Competitive examination is to be in two stages: Preliminary examination comprises General studies of 150 marks and one subject to be selected from the optional subjects of 300 marks. That enables the UPSC to eliminate non serious, less serious or unintelligent lot not capable of getting into top services.
The main examination comprises written Examination and Interview. Briefly speaking it comprises some papers. Paper I pertaining to Indian Languages as in 8th schedule of the constitution (of 300 marks) only qualifying marks are to be obtained.
They are not counted towards aggregate. Paper II is of English of 300 marks ; Paper III of Essay of 200 marks, Paper IV, V General studies; 300 marks each paper; Papers VI, VII, VIII & IX an out of optional subjects. Two optional are to be opted for. Each has two papers of 300 marks.
The Interview Test is of 300 marks, as previously a person failing in Interview (viva voce) used to be declared as failure. Now this is not the case. Aggregate is to be taken and position is determined.
In optional subjects Engineering – civil, mechanical, electrical and are included. Only one of them can be opted for. Likewise to enable medical graduates to appear, Medical sciences, Animal husbandry and Veterinary sciences have been included. In this case also, one option is to be out of three medical subjects.
Likewise in Arts also for example one has to make choice of one out of International Relations, Political Science and Public Administration. Instead of three four attempts are allowed to appear in the examination.
The technique of Interview is not to be cross examination of the candidate. It is to be a sort of natural, purposive conversation which is to discuss the mental qualities of the candidate. The candidate’s interest in events in his state, country and the world around is to be assessed.
A.D. Gorwala however was never satisfied with interview system. Hence he suggested psychological tests as replacement of viva voce. He holds “….The holding of such tests will of course cost more but if thereby the services get better material and there is no reason to suppose they will not, the extra money will have been well spent.”
Essay # 6. Defects in the Recruitment System:
First, in a democratic country as far as possible, all the posts should be filled up on the recommendations of the Public Service Commission. But in our country as elsewhere also, the Governments are empowered to exclude from the purview of the Public Service Commission’s such posts as they think necessary. The Government should use this power sparingly.
There is on the other hand a deplorable tendency on the part of our Governments to declare more and more posts beyond the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission. Recruitment to these posts is done by the Government itself not necessarily on the basis of merit.
It gives rise to favouritism, nepotism and corruption. It is, therefore, desirable that the number of such posts should be reduced to minimum and the Public Service Commission should be the only medium through which the personnel should be recruited.
Second, though the position of the Public Service Commission’s is that of advisory body and the Government reserves to itself the right to disregard their advice, yet the recommendations of the Commission should never be turned down otherwise it would give rise to suspicion that the advice of the Commission was ignored to take in some one in whom the department was interested.
Fortunately such cases have been very rare in which the advice of the Commission has not been accepted by the Government. Yet it would be appreciated that there should not be even a single such case to eliminate even the least suspicion of favouritism on the part of the government.
Third, in our recruitment system some posts are reserved for, certain special classes of people like the Scheduled Castes and Tribes at the cost of the merit of the other people.
Nobody would grudge giving special concession to the backward people in matter of appointments yet safeguards should be provided to maintain the efficiency of administration which is likely to suffer by appointing such people as do not score as high as others in open merit competition.
Fourth, our examination techniques, in the words of Dr. Paul Appleby, are not up-to-date and not fully related to modern knowledge about administrative qualifications. In his own words:
“The criteria by which personnel are selected by the Public Service Commission are not up- to-date, and examining and appraising techniques are far from modern. Selection tends to be by one type of person’, which naturally perpetuates its own type. Selection is too much in terms of academic records and appraisals by experienced academic examiners, too little in terms of many other considerations highly important in public administration….too little attention in selection is given to any but the most subjective and incidental attention to capacity for growth.”
Besides, the candidates for All India Services and Central Services are subjected to one and the same type of examination. That is not proper. A.D. Gorwala remarked, “The technique must differ for different grades and different requirements.”
Fifth, previously our interview system was also not without fault. It was given undue weight. In the initial few years a candidate failing in viva used to be declared a failure.
The interview carried 300 marks out of a total of 1,750 for the IAS, 400 for IFS, 200 out of 1,050 for IPS and 200 out of 1,250 for the other Central Services. Presently, it is of 300 of marks for each of those services.
However, now a candidate failing in the interview is not declared a failure and he can also be selected as total marks are to be counted for determining success or failure counted.
A.D. Gorwala remarked in his report on Indian Administration, ”Fifteen minutes conversation with laymen although possessing the wide experience of the Public Service Commissions, can be no substitute for an expert psychological examination designed to give a scientific insight into the candidate’s mental and emotional make-up.”
Our interview system therefore needed a change so as to include psychological and aptitude tests which are very much in use in the western countries. Besides curtailment of marks in viva was essential. With the acceptance of Kothari Commission report the viva for all these services carries 250 marks which was quite insignificant. Presently 300 marks are for the Interview for IAS, IPS and Allied Services.
Sixth, there was another defect in the method of recruitment. The Public Service Commission’s never tried to restrict the field of eligibility. That was a wastage of time, money and energy both of the Commission and the candidates.
However, with the institution of screening test, known as Preliminary Examinations, candidates not up to the mark are eliminated before the final examination. Thus this defect stands removed after the institution of Preliminary examination.
Seventh, there is another grievance against our recruitment agencies that sometimes advertisements regarding vacancies are so worded as to suit the qualifications of a particular candidate. The Government while communicating their personnel requirements to the Commissions should guard themselves against being accused of ‘finding a post for a particular person and not finding a suitable person for a particular post.’
Eighth, Dr. Appleby is of the view that our recruitment system is ‘not imaginative and aggressive enough. He opines, “The advertisements seem to have been written by lawyers and not by skilled advertising or public relations men.” This is hardly valid an argument for a country like India where unemployment is rampant and the top administrative services are considered the envy of all brilliant young persons.
Even the Engineers and Doctors opt for these services which is evident from the inclusion of Engineering and Medical subjects in IAS syllabus. These candidates can take one subject out of Engineering or Medical subjects recently included in the optional.
That makes thing easier for the engineering and doctors as they have to prepare only one optional more. Hence hardly these posts require attractive advertisements to attract the talent.
Ninth, our system of certification also is faulty. In the words of Dr. Appleby, “The absurd limitation of selection of a new appointee to a single individual certified by the Public Service Commission hampers proper selection by ignoring differences in individuals important to different kinds of positions and reduces the probability that a needed person can be immediately engaged.”
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However, this system is immune from favouritism. There is a possibility of corruption if choice is to be made out of panel of names recommended by the Commission to the Government. The state governments in particular will play havoc with the recruitment if this is adopted.
Moreover, a register of eligible is not maintained by the Commission for filling up vacancies occurring in future. The entire procedure of advertisement, inviting of applications, examination, interview is again repeated.
In the words of Appleby, “Instead of keeping large registers of eligible from whom the appointing agency can select with its special needs in mind action often must await the whole laborious and time-consuming process of calling for a new and special examination or advertisement or selection.”
Last, too much reliance on promotion in higher jobs is not desirable. Dr. Appleby also was of the view that “There is too little willingness to recruit intermediate and higher levels, too much reliance on promotion from below but with promotion limited to strictly to the single class to which a person was first appointed.”
He further contended. “There is too much unwillingness to recruit in sufficient numbers even for present needs and too little realization that future needs of far more serious dimensions cannot be met in the future except by additional recruitment and training now.”