The Union Public Service Commission, as we know it today, is one of India's most important and respected organisations. Responsible for the recruitment and appointment of officers to both the All India Services and the Central Civil Services (Group A and B), the Commission today is an indispensable part of the functioning of India’s bureaucracy.
But, how did the UPSC come to be? How and when has the commission attained this coveted position? What is the history of Civil Services in India?
Here is a look at the evolution of the Civil Services and UPSC:
Pre-1854: The Civil Servants for the East India Company under the Covenated Civil Services were nominated by the Directors of the Company and trained at Haileybury College in London
1854: Lord Macaulay introduced the concept of merit-based Civil Service in the Report of the Select Committee, presented in the British Parliament and a Civil Service Commission was set up in London for this purpose
1855: The Civil Service Commission conducted a competitive exam for Civil Services for the first time in London with a maximum age limit of 23 and a minimum age limit of 18. The syllabus design had a significant weightage of marks on European Classics, making it difficult for Indians to clear the exam.
1861: Lord Canning passed the Indian Civil Services Act of 1861, which mandates certain posts in the Civil Services to candidates who were citizens of India for more than seven years, making Indians eligible for Civil Service.
1864: Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to clear the Civil Service examination.
1866: The Civil Services was renamed to the Imperial Civil Service, and subsequently the Indian Civil Service.
1870: The Indian Civil Services Act of 1870 is passed, allowing Indians “of proven merit and ability” to hold any Civil Service post without reference to the Indian Civil Services Act of 1861.
1866: The Aitchison Commission was set up by Viceroy Lord Dufferin to recommend changes in the Indian Civil Services. The Commission recommended that the categories of Covenated and Uncovenated civil services be replaced with Imperial, Provincial, and Subordinate civil services. Further, it was recommended that more Indians be appointed to local civil service positions.
1912: The Islington Commission suggested that 25 per cent of the higher posts in the Indian Civil Services be occupied by Indians, as well as recommending that the recruitment happen partly in India and partly in England.
1917: Lord Montagu suggested in the British House of Lords that the participation of Indians must extend to all government branches
1918: Lord Montagu, along with Governor-General Lord Chelmsford voted in favour of fixing 33 per cent of Indian recruits to British Civil Services, and this percentage was to increase by 1.5 per cent annually.
1919: The Government of India Act, based on the Montagu-Chelmsford report, provided for the establishment of a Public Service Commission in India. Further, it designated active Imperial Serices as “All India Services”, and recommended that the provincial and subordinate services be divided into three groups.
1922: The Indian Civil Service Examination began to be held in India as well, and the Federal Public Service Commission was set up following the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms.
1923: To further localise the Civil Services, The Lee Commission proposed that 40 per cent of future entrants should be British, 40 per cent directly recruited Indians, and 20per cent Indians promoted from the provincial services.
1926: The Public Service Commission of India was established in 1926, with Sir Ross Barker as its chairman.
1935: Under The Government of India Act of 1935, only the Indian Civil Service, Indian Police Services, and Indian Medical Services continued under the All India Services, and all other services would be overseen by the State Governments. The act also established the Federal Public Service Commission.
1950: The Federal Public Service Commission was renamed to the Union Public Service Commission as per Clause (1) of Article 378 of the Constitution.
1951: The Indian Parliament passes the All-India Service Act to regulate the recruitment and the conditions of service of persons appointed to the All-India Services common to the Union and the States.
1966: The Indian Forest Service (IFS) was also constituted under the act.
1976: The Kothari Committee of 1976 recommended a three-stage selection process for the UPSC which includes an Objective-type Preliminary Exam, a subjective Main Exam, and a Personality Test interview.
1989: The Satish Chandra Committee of 1989 recommended that an Essay Section be introduced in the written exam, and the interview round carry more weightage.
2004: The Hota Commission of 2004 recommended that an aptitude paper be introduced in the Prelims Exam
2013: The pattern for the Indian Forest Service Examination was made similar to that of the Civil Services Examination.