Sample Material of Public Administration Study Kit (Paper - II)
Administrative Reforms since Independence: Reforms in financial management and human resource development
REFORMS IN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
The Administration Reform Commission (1966-70)
The Commission wanted to promote specialization among civil servants and to make even the “heaven-born” IAS to speclalise, thus curtailing its all-purpose character. Selection to the top posts was to be based on the result of a midcareer competitive examination open to all officers. It recommended a scheme of reform which envisaged entry into the middle and senior management levels in the central secretariat from all the services. Where the regularly constituted services were already in existence to attend to specific functions, the middle and senior level positions in the corresponding areas in the secretariat were normally to be occupied by the members of the concerned functional services. And, in non-functional areas the middle level personnel were to be drawn, through the device of a mid-career competitive examination, from all the sources on the basis of equal opportunity for all. The selected persons were required to gain specialized knowledge of and experience in one of the following eight areas of specialization at headquarters, the allocation in a particular specialty depending on their qualifications and previous background:
1. Economic Administration
2. Industrial Administration
3. Agricultural and Rural Development
4. Social and Educational Administration
5. Personnel Administration
6. Financial Administration
7. Defence Administration and Internal Security
8. Planning.
This recommendation about specialization was not accepted by the Government. The ARC wanted the generalist India Administrative Service to specialize, but the Government turned down its plea. A unified grading structure was recommended; posts entailing similar qualifications, difficulties, and responsibilities were to be grouped in the same grade. This also was not accepted.