Duvvuri Subbarao, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has proposed significant reforms to change India’s civil services recruitment system.
In a recent opinion piece in The Times of India, he outlined two major recommendations:
- Revising the eligibility criteria for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination
- Introducing a structured mid-career entry path for professionals into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Subbarao critiqued the current structure of the UPSC Civil Services Examination, which allows candidates aged 21 to 32 up to six attempts. He argues that this system leads to significant psychological and professional costs for aspirants.
"After all, they are susceptible to the 'sunk cost fallacy' — 'I’ve invested so much time, money and effort. All that will go waste if I give up now. Maybe I will succeed this time round,’” he wrote. He warned that this may result in a waste of their most productive years.
Citing his own experience from the 1970s, when only two attempts were permitted between ages 21 and 24, Subbarao suggested reducing the upper age limit to 27 and capping attempts at three to strike a fairer balance.
He wrote, "There is another argument in favour of curtailing the number of allowed attempts. Any examination that allows as many as six chances is likely to privilege mastery of the exam technique over inherent merit," adding that the selection process is prone to "type I and type II errors."
Proposal for mid-career entry
To complement the revised eligibility for younger candidates, Subbarao proposed for a permanent, competitive mid-career entry channel for professionals aged 40–42. Unlike ad-hoc lateral entries, this would be a structured annual recruitment process conducted by the UPSC.
He reasoned that professionals at this stage bring valuable real-world experience and governance perspectives, as compared to newer recruits.
While proposing mid-career entry, Subbarao emphasised the importance of continuing to recruit young candidates. "There is a lot to be said for continuing to recruit young people into the IAS. They bring in youthful spirit, raw enthusiasm and unspoilt enterprise into administration," he said.
Subbarao also called for continuous improvement. He acknowledged the progress made in the civil services examination since his time over 50 years ago. However, he insisted, “The civil service exam has vastly improved from the time I took it over 50 years ago. But there is still a need to push the envelope."
