Module - II

Topic – History and Evolution of Civil Services in India

Lecture - 10 Dr. Jalaj Goantiya

Assistant Prof. Political Science
Deepak Gautam
Research cum T.A
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES OF THIS TOPIC ARE

1. To understand the structure of civil services during British period in India.

2. To know about the various committees and commissions which had significantly
contributed to reform the civil services.
3. To study the evolution of civil services post independence in India.
4. Existing patterns of civil services in India.
 Meaning of civil services
⚫ Civil service is the body of government officials who are employed in civil occupations
that are neither political nor judicial. In most countries the term refers to employees
selected and promoted on the basis of a merit and seniority system, which may
include examinations.
⚫ According to Herman finer the civil service is a professional body of officials,
permanent, paid and skilled.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

E N Gladden states: Civil services is the name of an important government
institution comprising the staff of central administration of the state. It is more of
stands for a sprit essential to the success of modern democracy an ideal of vocation
in the public officials who devote their services to the community.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 History of civil services in India
A remarkable feature of the administrative system in federal government India is the
deliberate retention of all India services.
i.e. Central Government ----------------- State Government.

Civil services has its traces its genesis from famous Indian epic book of kautilya ie.
Arthshastra
Officer (yukta)
Clerk (upayukta)
Servant (tat purusham)

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Mugal administration
Mansabdari system
The Mughal nobility or mansabdars looked after the administration of the state the
central authority of which lay with the Emperor, like the power of conferring, increasing,
decreasing the mansab. Frequent transfers of jagirs were made to maintain insecurities
among the Mansabdars.
The mansabdar could collect rev-enue from his jagir through the Zamindars collecting
dues from cultivators.
They divided their system in two branches…
1. Civil Bureaucracy
2. Military Bureaucracy

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Civil Services during British period

⚫ Charter act 1853

⚫ Macaulay committee
⚫ Aitchison commission 1886
⚫ Public service commission 1912
⚫ Government of India act 1919
⚫ Lee commission 1923
⚫ Government of India act 1935

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Charter Act of 1853
Charter Act 1853

Provision for open competition

1. The old powers rights and privileges of the court of directors to nominate
candidates for admission to Haileybury were to come a close in regard to all
vacancies which occurred on or after 30th April 1854.
2. The act provided for appointment of members of the covenanted civil services on
the basis of suitable competitive examination which was to be held in London and
thus get rid of patronage system.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Macaulay Committee
President Chairman

5
MEMBER
COMMITTEE IS CONSTITUTED

1. To advice on the measures to be adopted to give effect to the act of 1853.

2. The committee laid down certain age limits for the admission to the college of Hailey bury.
3. The first examination under the board of control was held on 1855 at London on the basis of
recommendation.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Aitchison commission 1886
By sir Charles Aitchison

1. It prepared scheme of admission of Indians to public services.

2.It rejected the idea of simultaneous examination for covenanted service and advised the abolition of the
statu-tory civil service.
3.It proposed the setting up of provincial civil service, the members of which would be separately re-
cruited in every province either by promotion from lower ranks or by direct recruitment.
4.It suggested that the terms 'covenanted' and 'un-covenanted' should be replaced by the terms 'imperial'
and 'provincial' respectively.
5.It suggested 19 and 23 as the minimum and maximum age limits for Indians at the open civil service
examinations.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Public Service Commission 1912
Islington Commission, 1912 a Royal Commission formed to recommend reforms in the Public Service of
British India with Lord Islington as its chairman. A ten member commission, which included three
Indians, was given the task of examining the Indian demand to increase the number of Indians in the
Higher Civil Services and, most importantly, holding simultaneous examination in India.

It is also observed that Indian constituted only 5% of the civil services.

⚫ Separate channels of access one in England and other in India is to be operated.
⚫ It also proposes the category of civil services into class 1 and 2.

Lord Islington
By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma
 Government of India act 1919
Three fold classification of services.
1. All India services.
2. Provincial services.
3. Subordinate services.
All the imperial services functioning in the province whether in the reserved or
transferred departments were designated as the All India Services.

In 1922 first competitive exam under the supervision of Civil Service Commission.
The Indian candidates selected on the basis of results were put on probation for 2 years
at an English University.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Lee Commission 1923

Lee Commission was formed in 1923 under the chairmanship of Lord Lee taking equal number
of Indian and British members with the purpose of studying the racial composition of the
superior public service of the government of India. The commission examined the
recommendations of the Islington commission report (1912) and reviewed the existing position
of two groups of services the All-India Services and the Central Services. The Provincial Services
were not considered as they had already come under the control of the provincial
governments.
Lee Commission's main recommendation was that 20 percent of the superior posts should be
filled by promotions from provincial civil services and of the remaining 80 percent future
entrants, 40 percent should be British and 40 percent Indians directly recruited.
By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma
 Government of India Act 1935
On August 1935, the Government of India passed longest act i.e. Government of India Act 1935
under the British Act of Parliament.
1. It provided for the establishment of an All-India Federation consisting of provinces and
princely states as units.
2. It divided the whole commission in to two streams.
1. Federal Public Service Commission.
2. Provincial Public Service Commission.
For each province so that the pubic service commission may be completely free from political
influence and the merit rule may be put in operation which is so necessary for the economic and
efficient conduct of public affairs.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Indian civil services after independence
The Indian politics choose to retain elements of the British structure of a unified
administrative system such as :-
A. An open entry system based on academic achievements.
B. Elaborated training arrangements.
C. Permanency of tenure.
D. Important post at union , state and district levels reserved for the civil services.
E. A regular graduated scale of pay with pensions and other benefits.
F. A system of promotions and transfers based predominantly on seniority, while
designing a success or civil service.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 The civil services in India can be grouped into
three broad categories
1. The services whose members serve both the union and the state government are
termed as All India Services.
2. Services whose members serve only the union government are termed central civil
services.
The state government have their own group of services. The posts in the union and the
state governments are hierarchally arranged into four groups.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma
 CONTINUED……

Hon’ble Vallabh bhai Patel who our former Union Home Minister was the principal
advocate of this Institution.
The steel frame of the whole structure a sobriquet for the all India service endeavoured
itself to the Iron Man of India.
He is also known as father of civil services in India.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Civil services of India
1. All India services ie. IAS, IPS, IFS. (UPSC)
2. Central civil services ie. Group A,B,C,D.
3. State civil services ie. Individual states.

Some key objectives of government in creating the all India services are :-
Preserving national unity and integrity and uniform standards of Administration.
Neutrality and objectivity non political, secular, and non sectorial outlook.
Competence , efficiency and professionalism- an entry by attracting the best and brightest
thoughts and career.
Integrity and idealism.

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma

 Civil services post independence
Civil services
1. Recruitment
2. Training
3. Domain expertise
4. Grading reforms
5. Efficiency
6. Accountability
7. Performance appraisal
8. Management of civil servants

By Dr. Vimal Kumar Vishwakarma