Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

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This article has been sourced from an authoritative, official publication. Therefore, it has been ‘locked’ and will never be thrown open to readers to edit or comment on. After the formal launch of their online archival encyclopædia, readers who wish to add further details can do so on a ‘Part II’ of this article.

The source of the first section

INDIA 2012

A REFERENCE ANNUAL

Compiled by

RESEARCH, REFERENCE AND TRAINING DIVISION

PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

What is the UPSC?

A backgrounder

May 28, 2018: The Times of India

Vacancies in civil services, 2005-2018
From: May 28, 2018: The Times of India

How officers were recruited to the ICS- IAS, IP- IPS and IFS (forest), 1854- 1920
From: May 28, 2018: The Times of India

The main examinations conducted by the UPSC in 2015: the number of vacancies vis-à-vis the number of applicants
From: May 28, 2018: The Times of India

Civil servants weren’t always recruited via exams

The Centre has proposed changes in the service and cadre allocation rules of UPSC that govern recruitment into the central civil services. But former bureaucrats and civil service aspirants have expressed apprehensions over the plan. A look at the history of recruitment of India’s top bureaucrats...

When was UPSC formed?

The concept of a body to regulate public service was mentioned in the Govt of India Act, 1919. But the public service commission was established only in 1926. The Govt of India Act, 1935, envisaged two types of public service commission — one for the federation and another for provinces. Subsequently, the constituent assembly envisaged an autonomous public service commission to ensure unbiased recruitment to civil services, leading to the establishment of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

What are the major functions of UPSC?

Under Art. 320 of the Constitution, UPSC is to be consulted on all matters relating to civil service recruitments. UPSC conducts exams to recruit officers for administrative, police, foreign, forest services, etc. It also holds exams for recruitment of army and paramilitary officers, economists, geologists, doctors, engineers, among others. It also recruits specialists through direct interviews and is responsible for looking into promotions, deputations and absorption of officers. Recruitment rules for these posts can only be framed and amended by UPSC.

Are civil services seats declining over the years?

While this year’s vacancy is lowest since 2008, it is not the lowest in the last 15 years. There was a steady increase in seats from 2005 to 2014, from where seats have declined.

What is the applicant-to-recommended ratio in UPSC exams?

According to the latest data, the Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA) exam to select undergraduates for a programme in mechanical engineering at the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering is the toughest one to crack. For every 5,884 applications, only one candidate was recommended.

Chairmen of UPSC

Name Tenure

Sir Ross Barker ............................................................. October, 1926-August 1932

Sir David Petrie ............................................................ August 1932-1936

Sir Eyre Gorden ........................................................... 1937-1942

Sir F.W. Robertson ....................................................... 1942-1947

Sh. H.K. Kripalani ....................................................... 1 April 1947-13 January 1949

Sh. R.N. Banerjee ......................................................... 14 January 1949 - 9 May 1955

Sh. N. Govindarajan .................................................... 10 May 1955 - 9 December 1955

Sh. V.S. Hejmadi .......................................................... 10 December 1955-9 December 1961

Sh. B.N. Jha ................................................................... 11 December 1961-22 February 1967

Sh. K.R. Damle ............................................................. 18 April 1967-2 March 1971

Sh. R.C.S. Sarkar .......................................................... 11 May 1971-1 February 1973

Dr. A.R. Kidwai ........................................................... 5 February 1973-4 February 1979

Dr. M.L. Shahare .......................................................... 16 February 1979-16 February 1985

Sh. H.K.L. Capoor ....................................................... 18 February 1985-5 March 1990

Sh. RS,.P. Gupta ............................................................... 5 March 1990 -2 June 1992

Smt. R.M. Bathew (Kharbuli) .................................... 23 September 1992-23 August 1996

Sh. S.RS,.S. Chhatwal ...................................................... 23 August 1996-30 September 1996

Sh. RS,.M. Qureshi ........................................................... 30 September 1996-11 December 1998

Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Surinder Nath .................................. 11 December 1998-25 June 2002

Sh. P.C. Hota ................................................................ 25 June 2002-8 September 2003

Sh. Mata Prasad ........................................................... 8 September 2003-04 January 2005

Dr. S.R. Hashim ........................................................... 04 January 2005-01 April 2006

Sh. Gurbachan Jagat .................................................... 01 April 2006-30 June 2007

Sh. Subir Datta ............................................................. 30 June 2007-16 August 2008

D. P. Agrawal ............................................................. August 2008 August 2014

Rajni Razdan ............................................................. August 2014 November 2014

Deepak Gupta ............................................................. November 2014 September 2016

Alka Sirohi ............................................................. September 21, 2016 January 3, 2017

David R. Syiemlieh .............................................................January 4, 2017 January 21, 2018

Vinay Mittal ............................................................. January 22, 2018 June 19, 2018

See also

India and its Polity (administrative structure)

in which there is a section on

The Union Public Service Commission