Values and Influence of Religion in Public Administration by L Shanthakumari Sunder

Author:L Shanthakumari Sunder [Sunder, L Shanthakumari]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2011-01-10T18:30:00+00:00

KOTHARI COMMITTEE REPORT, 1976

Up until 1976, the method of recruitment to the IAS remained un-changed. After this, however, a Committee for Recruitment and Selection Methods, was appointed in 1974 by the UPSC, under the Chairmanship of Mr D.S. Kothari. This change came as a major path-breaker in this respect. The Committee submitted its report in 1976, the Government accepted most of its recommendations, and the UPSC has followed this modified method from 1979 onwards. The recommendations of this report are still in practice today and hence it becomes important to go through this Committee report in detail.

Prior to 1979, the candidates for the AIS wrote a single competitive examination with three compulsory papers, viz., English Essay, General English and General Knowledge, each carrying a maximum of 150 marks. Three optional papers were supposed to be selected from a number of optional subjects, carrying 200 marks each and two additional papers for the IAS and IFS from another list of subjects offered. The candidates who qualified in the written examination were called for an interview, which carried 300 marks. The merit list was prepared according to the total marks obtained, both in the written examination and the interview, and the high ranking candidates allotted to the IAS and the IFS and the rest were alloted various All India Central Services Class I and Class II posts, depending on the available vacancy.

For the first time after many years, the Kothari Committee ques-tioned the wisdom of the existing method of selecting candidates to face the arduous nature of administrative functions in the country with the objective of establishing a modern State “wedded to the principles of democracy, socialism and secularism.”18 The task of the administrators is to bring about “social transformation by consent, ensuring economic growth with social justice.”19 It was no longer “the enforcement of law and order and preserving the status quo.”20 The administration had to interact with the elected representatives of the people. This meant that a recruitment process, which assessed only academic knowledge and skills of the candidate, and missed assessing their ability to deal with the pressing problems of economic and social development, will fall far short of the requirement. The emphasis had to be shifted to selecting candi-dates, who could not only assimilate knowledge and sift the material to understand the ramifications of a situation or a problem, but also have the potential to develop an original or innovative approach to the solution of problems. This gave legitimacy to the direction towards which the country's administration was already moving, that is, from just revenue collection and maintenance of law and order, to ushering in social and economic development of the country. The government also expected its officers to have the ability to develop original and innovative approach to the solution of the problems of the people. The other important aspect emphasized by the Committee in its recruitment policy was to equalize opportunities for different sections of the community, and to this end expand the base of recruitment.

With

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