During the era of Jawaharlal Nehru many appointments were made in civil services from the “open market” based on candidates’ competence and expertise in various fields.
What was the need of such appointments?
-In 1946, with independence from British rule the Central Cabinet, following a conference of Premiers, decided to establish the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) to replace the Indian Civil Service (ICS) and Indian Police (IP) respectively.
-In 1946, with independence from British rule the Central Cabinet, following a conference of Premiers, decided to establish the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) to replace the Indian Civil Service (ICS) and Indian Police (IP) respectively.
–To address the shortage of officers, especially those with specialised skills, special recruitment drives were undertaken in 1948-49 ,when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister in 1956. This was in addition to the annual recruitments through examinations conducted by the UPSC.
-The special selections too, were made by the UPSC, but on the recommendation of an Emergency Recruitment Board.
-The 1949 special recruitment was based on a scrutiny of the applicants’ records and an interview. The 1956 recruitment took place on the basis of a written examination and an interview. These emergency recruitments were made not only for the IAS but also for the IPS and several central services.
-Reports suggest that until the mid-1950s, some 7,000 applicants appeared on average in the annual civil service exams, and about 200 were selected. Besides the central government, various state governments were also in dire need of good officers to frame and implement policies.
-The special recruitment was designed to select the best brains in India and from Indians living abroad to deploy in the service of the newly independent nation.
Process of Recruitment
–Age Limit:The upper age limit to appear for the civil services examination in the early days was 24 years. Open market recruitments were made from among individuals who had completed the age of 25 but not the age of 40. For Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates the age ceiling was 45 years. (The now-cancelled lateral entry initiative had the same age ceiling for applicants.)
-In the first round of special recruitments in 1948-49, 82 officers were hired on the recommendation of the Emergency Recruitment Board.
-For the 1956 round, the government fixed an income floor of Rs 300 for open-market candidates to apply – a requirement that caused an uproar in Parliament.
Quotas in appointments
–Reservation for SCs and STs was implemented in the open-market recruitments. However, there was no reservation among officers who were promoted from the state civil services.
-The SC quota was 12.5% and the ST quota was 5%, both for vacancies filled normally through competitive exams and in the special recruitment from the open market.
-The filling of the quota was subject to the availability of suitable candidates. According to the government, the conditions for recruitment of SCs and STs were relaxed to the extent possible.