First Civil Service Paper of Free India

First Civil Service Paper of Free India

In 1947, Free India held its first Civil Service Examination. On August 15, 1947, India declared its independence from British colonial rule, and the nation immediately started the process of building its own administrative and civil services. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) recruiting took place at the inaugural Civil Service Examination held in independent India. This exam signaled the start of a new era for India’s civil services, which would be vital in determining the nation’s government and administration.

The earliest origins of civil service in India for administration purposes can be traced back to the period after 1757 when the East India Company were the de-facto rulers in parts of India. The company started the Covenanted Civil Services (CCS). CCS members had to sign covenants with the company’s board. After the Revolt of 1857, when the rule of the company ended and power was transferred to the British Crown, i.e., after 1886 the service came to be called the Imperial Civil Service. It later came to be called the Indian Civil Service. In this article we will discuss about First Civil Service Paper of Free India.

First Civil Service Paper of Free India: Origin of Civil Services

The First Dispatch of the Government of India on the Indian Constitutional Reforms on the 5th March, 1919, which discussed the need for establishing some permanent office tasked with the regulation of service matters, serves as the foundation for the Public Service Commission in India. This idea of a body intended to be largely responsible for the regulation of service matters took on a little more realistic form in the Government of India Act, 1919. A Public Service Commission was to be established in India under Section 96(C) of the Act, and it was to “discharge, with respect to the recruitment and control of the Public Services in India, such functions as may be assigned thereto by rules made by the Secretary of State in Council”.

View of First Civil Service Paper of Free India

Preparing for Civil Services and joining the services is dream of every aspirant preparing of UPSC. Here is the image of First Civil Service Paper of Free India:

First Civil Service Paper of Free India: History Associated to It

After the Government of India Act, 1919, despite extensive correspondence between levels regarding the duties and organisational structure of the body to be established, no decision was made regarding the body’s establishment. The Lee Commission, also known as the Royal Commission on the Superior Civil Services in India, was then tasked with looking into the matter.

The Lee Commission recommended in its report from the year 1924 that the Government of India Act, 1919’s statutory Public Service Commission be constituted right away. After the provisions of Section 96(C) of the Government of India Act, 1919 and the Lee Commission’s strong recommendations for the early establishment of a Public Service Commission in 1924, the Public Service Commission was first established in India on October 1, 1926.

The Chairman was joined by four other members. The first Chairman of the Commission was a British Home Civil Service employee named Sir Ross Barker. The Government of India Act, 1919 did not specify the Public Service Commission’s duties; instead, the Public Service Commission (Functions) Rules, 1926, were created in accordance with subsection (2) of Section 96(C) of the Act. The Government of India Act, 1935 also called for the establishment of a Public Service Commission for the Federation and a Provincial Public Service Commission for each Province or set of Provinces.

Therefore, in terms of the provisions of the Government of India Act, 1935 and with its coming into effect on 1st April, 1937, the Public Service Commission became the Federal Public Service Commission. With the inauguration of the Constitution of India in January 26, 1950, the Federal Public Service Commission came to be known as the Union Public Service Commission and the Chairman and Members of the Federal Public Service Commission became Chairman and Members of the Union Public Service Commission by virtue of Clause (1) of Article 378 of the Constitution.

First Civil Service Examination of Free India & Introduction of IAS

The first Civil Service Examination of Free India was conducted to select candidates for the newly formed Indian Administrative Service (IAS), which replaced the ICS. This examination marked a significant transition from the colonial-era administrative structure to an indigenous and more representative civil service for India.

The examination was designed to assess the candidates’ knowledge, aptitude, and skills required for administrative and leadership roles in the independent India. It consisted of written tests as well as interviews to evaluate the candidates’ suitability for various administrative positions.

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