Former Law Minister Veerappa Moily has urged the establishment of a central statutory body or authority to oversee lateral entry recruitment into the higher ranks of the civil services. He argues that the current approach does not guarantee the selection of truly qualified individuals for top positions. Lateral entry involves recruiting professionals from outside traditional service cadres, such as the Indian Administrative Service, to fill mid and senior-level positions in central or state ministries.
Recently, Congress leader Veerappa Moily suggested that candidates aspiring to appear for administrative service exams should be selected after completing their 12th year of schooling. He proposed enrolling them in a specialised three-year course, similar to the IIT or NDA exam pathways for the Army. Upon completion, candidates would be assigned to services like IAS or IPS based on their interests and abilities, to streamline and enhance the recruitment and training process for administrative roles.
However, the report also recommends keeping alternative recruitment avenues open for civil services. Candidates who wish to join the civil services after studying in specialised fields such as medicine or engineering should still be allowed to take the exam, but only after passing a bridge course for civil services conducted by universities. In addition, it suggests that separate exams should be held for state civil servants. The report cites examples of civil service academies in other countries to support this proposal. This report was presented in December 2008.
The commission, in its recommendations, has proposed the following:
1. The Government of India should establish a National Institute of Public Administration to offer degree programmes in public administration, governance, and management. This institute would serve as a primary source of candidates for the civil services.
2. Selected central and other universities should be strengthened to offer graduate-level programmes in Public Administration, Governance, and Public Management to expand the pool of eligible candidates for the civil services.
3. These university programmes should include core subjects such as the Constitution of India, the Indian Legal System, Administrative Law, the Indian Economy, Indian Polity, Indian History, and Culture, along with optional subjects.
4. Graduates from the National Institute of Public Administration and selected universities would be eligible to sit for the Civil Service Examination. Additionally, graduates from other disciplines could also qualify for the examination if they complete bridge courses covering the core subjects. These courses should be offered by the same institutes and universities that provide the graduate programmes.
5. Need-based scholarships should be provided to students admitted to these institutes and universities.
The commission has therefore emphasised the urgent need to establish an expert committee to initiate these new courses in selected institutes and universities starting from the next academic year.
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