UPSC at 100: A Century of Meritocracy, Independence and Inclusion

Why in News?

• The Union Public Service Commission completed 100 years on 1 October 2026.
• India’s first Public Service Commission was constituted on 1 October 1926.
• It evolved from a limited advisory institution under colonial rule into an independent constitutional body responsible for merit-based recruitment to the Union services.

How Did Merit-based Civil-Service Recruitment Evolve?

Beginning of Open Competition

• The Indian Civil Service examination was introduced in London in 1855, replacing the East India Company’s nomination system.
• However, the London-based examination, use of English and emphasis on subjects such as Greek and Latin disadvantaged Indian candidates.
• Satyendranath Tagore cleared the examination in 1863 and joined the ICS in 1864, becoming its first Indian member.
• By 1919, only 78 of the 1,255 ICS officers were Indians.

Nationalist Demands

• The Government of India Act, 1919 provided for establishing a Public Service Commission.
• The ICS examination was conducted in India for the first time at Allahabad in 1922, alongside London.
• The Indian examination centre moved to Delhi in 1928.
• The Lee Commission, 1924, chaired by Arthur Hamilton Lee, recommended the immediate establishment of a statutory Public Service Commission.

Establishment in 1926

• India’s first Public Service Commission was established on 1 October 1926.
• It functioned under the Public Service Commission (Functions) Rules, 1926, framed under the Government of India Act, 1919.
• Sir Ross Barker was its first Chairman.
• It initially had four Members and functioned from Metcalfe House, Delhi.
• Its limited powers attracted criticism, but it created a permanent recruitment institution within India.

How Did UPSC Become a Constitutional Body?

• The Government of India Act, 1935 provided for Federal and Provincial Public Service Commissions.
• In 1937, the institution was renamed the Federal Public Service Commission.
• H.K. Kripalani became its first Indian Chairman in 1947.
• After Independence, the ICS was replaced by the Indian Administrative Service.
• On 26 January 1950, the Federal Public Service Commission became the Union Public Service Commission.
• R.N. Banerjee became its first Chairman under the constitutional system.

The constitutional provisions on Public Service Commissions were moved in the Constituent Assembly by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on 22 August 1949.

What is the Constitutional Framework Governing UPSC?

The Union and State Public Service Commissions are governed by Part XIV, Articles 315–323 of the Constitution.

• Article 315: Establishes Public Service Commissions for the Union and States and permits a Joint Commission for two or more States.
• Article 316: Provides for the appointment and tenure of the Chairman and Members. UPSC members are appointed by the President.
• Article 317: Provides for removal or suspension by the President. Removal for misbehaviour requires a Supreme Court inquiry.
• Article 318: Empowers the President to regulate the conditions of service of Members and staff.
• Article 319: Restricts government employment after a Member leaves office. The UPSC Chairman is ineligible for further government employment.
• Article 320: Specifies functions relating to examinations, recruitment, promotions and disciplinary matters.
• Article 321: Allows Parliament or a State Legislature to extend the functions of a Public Service Commission.
• Article 322: Charges the Commission’s expenses on the Consolidated Fund of India.
• Article 323: Requires UPSC to submit an annual report to the President. The report and reasons for non-acceptance of its advice are placed before Parliament.

These provisions protect UPSC from political and financial interference.

What are the Functions of UPSC?

Recruitment Through Examinations

UPSC conducts examinations including:

• Civil Services Examination;
• Indian Forest Service Examination;
• Engineering Services Examination;
• Combined Medical Services Examination;
• National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination;
• Combined Defence Services Examination;
• and Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination.

Recruitment by Selection

• It conducts interviews and recruitment tests for specialist posts requisitioned by Union Ministries and Departments.

Advisory Functions

UPSC advises the government on:

• recruitment rules;
• methods of recruitment;
• promotions through Departmental Promotion Committees;
• induction into the All India Services;
• and disciplinary cases.

During 2023–24, it processed the records of 24,581 officers for promotion, while 532 officers were inducted into the All India Services.

Selection of State Police Chiefs

Since 2012–13, UPSC has empanelled senior IPS officers for appointment as State Directors General of Police/Heads of Police Force, following the Supreme Court’s directions in Prakash Singh v. Union of India.

What were the Major Institutional Reforms?

Examination Reforms

• 1938: Combined competitive examinations commenced.
• 1969: Eighth Schedule languages were introduced as options for Essay and General Studies papers.
• 1979: The three-stage Civil Services Examination—Preliminary, Main and Interview—was introduced.
• 1989: Optical Mark Recognition technology was introduced.
• 1993: A separate Essay paper was added to the Main Examination.
• 2000: Online Recruitment Application system was introduced.
• 2011: Civil Services Aptitude Test was introduced.
• 2013: The Main Examination was restructured with four General Studies papers, including Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude, and one optional subject.
• 2015: CSAT became a qualifying paper with a minimum requirement of 33%.
• 2021: Women were admitted to the NDA and Naval Academy Examination for the first time.
• 2022: Four Group A railway services were unified as the Indian Railway Management Service.

Important Institutional Milestones

• 1966: Indian Forest Service was created as the third All India Service.
• 1992: Rose Millian Bathew Kharbuli became UPSC’s first woman Chairperson.
• 2016: UPSC Museum was opened.
• 2019: A dedicated control room was established for continuous examination monitoring.

How has UPSC Promoted Inclusion?

Women’s Representation

• Women constituted 3.6% of recommended candidates in 1952.
• In the Civil Services Examination 2025, women constituted 31.2% of selected candidates.
• Women secured 11 of the top 25 ranks in 2025.
• Kiran Bedi became the first woman selected for the IPS in 1972.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

• SC candidates recommended increased from 9 in 1955 to 158 in 2025.
• ST candidates recommended increased from 2 in 1956–57 to 73 in 2025.
• SC applications across examinations increased to 4,51,243 in 2023–24.
• ST applications increased to 1,47,106 during the same period.

Persons with Benchmark Disabilities

• PwBD candidates recommended increased from 3 in 2002 to 42 in 2025.
• UPSC introduced scribes for visually impaired candidates in 1994.
• Eligible candidates are provided extra time, preferred examination centres, escorts and interview facilitators.

Linguistic Inclusion

• Candidates can write the Main Examination in languages listed in the Eighth Schedule.
• Candidates may answer the Personality Test in an Indian language with an interpreter provided by UPSC.

Other Inclusion Measures

• Women candidates receive fee exemption.
• The Economically Weaker Sections category was implemented from CSE 2019.
• A separate transgender category was introduced in the Online Recruitment Application system in 2020.

How has Technology Strengthened Examinations?

AI-enabled Facial Authentication

• UPSC piloted AI-based facial authentication during NDA and CDS examinations in September 2025.
• It was implemented at scale during the Civil Services Preliminary Examination on 24 May 2026.
• Around 5.50 lakh candidates were authenticated through invigilators’ mobile phones.
• Authentication took approximately 6–8 seconds per candidate.

Detection of False Claims

• Analysis of 15 years of candidate data identified and rejected 569 applicants who had furnished false information to claim additional attempts.

Recent Digital Measures

• Universal Registration Number: Introduced in May 2025 as a persistent identity across examinations.
• Randomised interview boards: Introduced from the Combined Medical Services Examination 2025.
• Candidate Helpdesk: A 30-channel call centre introduced from February 2026; it handled over 50,000 calls.
• Provisional answer key: Introduced for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, with representations accepted through the QPRep portal.
• Online DPC system: A paperless system is being developed for approximately 101 Ministries, Departments and organisations.
• Cybersecurity: Officers are being trained in AI and emerging technologies through NIELIT, while a High-Level Network Committee has been established.

What is Pratibha Setu?

• UPSC introduced the Public Disclosure Scheme in 2018 for willing candidates who cleared all examination stages but narrowly missed the final merit list.
• Their details were made available to interested employers.
• The initiative was revamped as Pratibha Setu on 9 June 2025.
• It connects such candidates with verified employers, including:
  • Union Ministries;
  • public-sector undertakings;
  • autonomous bodies;
  • and private organisations.

It ensures that talent beyond the final merit list is not lost.

What Do the Facts and Figures Reveal?

• Total applications increased from 42,727 in 1950–51 to a peak of 45,10,044 in 2022–23.
• Examination centres increased from 8 in 1950 to 86 in 2026.
• Women recommended increased from 3 of 83 candidates in 1952 to 299 of 958 in 2025.
• Disciplinary cases advised upon increased from 53 in 1950–51 to 446 in 2023–24.
• In 2022–23, UPSC conducted 15 examinations, receiving over 33.51 lakh applications.
• It also received 233 requisitions for 4,411 selection posts, attracting more than 11.58 lakh applications.

Conclusion

UPSC’s century-long evolution reflects India’s transition from colonial exclusion to constitutional equality. Its legitimacy rests on merit, impartiality, confidentiality and inclusive access. As technology and administrative needs change, UPSC must continue modernising without weakening these foundational principles. A fair and independent recruitment system remains essential for professional civil services, good governance and public confidence in the Indian state.