The Hindu Business Line : Civil services recruitment

The recommendations given on the civil services day regarding the recruitment process for civil services suggested that the age of recruitment be reduced to a band of 21-24 years.

Keeping in view that the best talent should come to civil services; the above recommendations are ill-conceived.

The average age at which one finishes post-graduation is about 24 years. The above recommendations completely bars post graduates and doctors from entering civil services.

Many people would like to join the civil services after they realise that the corporate sector, though more lucrative, will not fulfil their aspirations of serving their country. There are examples of people, who were gainfully employed in the private sector after their MBA from IIMs, who quit their corporate jobs to serve their country. The recommendations of civil service reforms would bar them also and the country will also lose talent.

Further, the recommendations, if accepted, will act as a deterrent for people in Group C and D posts who are motivated to go up the hierarchy very quickly seeing the apathy in their organisations.

Semi-urban and rural people will be hit the most, as they cannot complete their graduation by 24 for various reasons.

Civil services being a generalist domain must give opportunity to everyone.

Post-graduates and medical students will miss the bus forever if such ill-conceived recommendations are accepted.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) must look at making the process of recruitment more scientific by cutting down the number of optional subjects, giving more weightage to general studies and testing candidates to reason, argue, defend and analyse the burning subjects rather than testing a candidate’s mere memory.

A time-frame of one year to complete the recruitment process for IAS, IPS and other Group A posts is too long. UPSC should first cut the duration it takes to recruit personnel to coveted posts. Age must never be a constraint for talented individuals entering civil services. The criteria must be the depth of understanding, width of knowledge and sharpness in logic and reason.

M. S. Sunil e-mail

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