A parliamentary panel on Wednesday recommended a rethink of the entire recruitment process for the civil services, noting that over 70% of the recruits selected through the Civil Services Exam in the past years were from technical or medical streams, and were being “lost” when they can “perform as very good doctors and engineers”
“Every year, hundreds of technocrats are thus being lost, who are likely to work in other specific areas which is also a requirement for the nation. The allurement to become a civil servant is perhaps also adversely affecting other fields of working,” the department-related standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice said in its 131st report on Review of Functioning of Recruitment Organisations of Government of India.
As per data on educational background of candidates selected through the Civil Services Exams conducted from 2011 to 2020, the number of candidates with engineering background has risen from 46% in 2011 to 65% in 2020. Percentage of candidates with medical background selected to the civil services has however fallen from 14% in 2011 to 4% now. The percentage of selected candidates with humanities background has been fluctuating between 23% and 28%, the only exception being the year 2012 when 40% of the successful aspirants were from this category, Around 23% of the candidates with a humanities background were selected to the civil services in 2020, as compared to 27% in 2011.
The committee sought the time cycle for the recruitment test conducted by UPSC to be shortened, citing the expenses and erosion of human capital on account of the long-drawn process. It suggested that the timeline of conduct of the entire process should not take more than six months and recommended that the option of computer- based examination be exercised.
Describing the civil servant as an interface between the government and the common people, the committee underlined that he works at the grassroots, which requires considerable human touch and a sensitive approach towards the people. It thus recommended that civil servants be imparted training in such a way that they develop a more humane and empathetic approach towards any issue. The panel also said civil servants should be trained to work in difficult law and order situations, and suggested their better training in legal issues as they would act as quasi judicial officers.
On the Agniveer scheme, under which youths are recruited into the armed forces for a four-year period, after which 25% are retained and 75% discharged, the panel suggested that law be enacted to govern recruitment under the scheme. It also suggested reservation or preference for Agniveers in other government jobs to prevent any kind of “disaffection” among them.
