The image of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) has taken a serious beating ever since the Puja Khedkar episode came to light. Ms. Khedkar has unwittingly exposed the chinks or rather the gaping holes in the system. When seen along with the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) fiasco, it becomes clear that India has a huge task at hand in restoring the image of the civil services, institutions of higher learning, as well as the organisations responsible for these national-level selections.
Gaping holes
While the NEET controversy was a one-time mismanagement of an exam paper, the UPSC case has serious long-term implications for not only the creamy layer concept in Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation, but also for reservations for economically weaker sections (EWS), which were started a few years ago. For both these categories, people need to submit income certificates issued by the Tehsildar. This process has come under severe criticism in this case.
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While there have also been complaints of candidates fraudulently posing as Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe members, these can be verified on the ground. However, this is not the case with the EWS or the OBC quota system, as well as the disability category, which can all be gamed.
On the income issue, there is still no clarity on whether the candidate’s income or the candidate’s father’s income is to be considered. Also, let us say a man gets into the Indian Revenue Service under the OBC/EWS category and later reapplies for the UPSC exam because he wants to get into the IAS. His income has crossed the threshold in the interim period. What happens then? If income is dynamic, how can a one-time snapshot of a person’s economic status be accepted indefinitely? In our experience, once the status of a person is established by a certificate, it is neither reported differently by the applicant nor is it verified by the authorities concerned. In many cases, we have seen candidates failing to clear the exam the first time and then clearing it with an EWS certificate. To make matters worse, the Tehsildar who is charged with the responsibility of issuing the income certificate has no wherewithal or credentials to actually do so. They only issue it because, as some may argue, “this is how it has always been done.” If a candidate’s OBC father is rich and owns companies’ worth of money but does not pay personal income tax, there is no way the Tehsildar can get to him.
Despite all these questions and problems, there have been no attempts to update the rules on income and disability. Neither has there been any scrutiny of the cases. The rules and procedures do not have legs to stand on, but no one challenges them for fear of opening a can of worms. They invariably look the other way and, in some cases, even make hay while the sun shines. We both spent several years in the Ministry, but we did not have a single case referred to us by institutions seeking clarifications. Nor were any seemingly dubious cases brought to our notice. What we see today is therefore just the tip of the iceberg. It will not be surprising if many such cases tumble out not only from the civil services closet, but also from India’s premier higher education institutions. Unfortunately, India does not have a proactive system of scrutiny. There is scrutiny only when someone registers a complaint. Add to this the rampant sifarish (request) culture and we have a ‘fair is foul, foul is fair’ syndrome, a nightmare even for the best of our administrators.
The way forward
Could more transparency at every stage using technology be the antidote? Had this been done in Ms. Khedkar’s case, she would not have managed to sit for the UPSC exam 12 times. However, it is a fact that even a secure system such as the Aadhaar can be gamed. In 2018, for instance, fake biometric data were used to generate Aadhaar numbers to fraudulently claim subsidies on LPG and other welfare schemes.
What then is the solution? To begin with, the government needs to issue clear instructions on both income and disability, which are applicable throughout the country irrespective of State, Ministry, or sector. If need be, bodies could be set up with eminent persons or institutions to help the government reach a consensus on these issues. We need a robust system of verification. We need to adopt practices which are forward-looking and compatible with the times, especially in the disability category, and we need to use advanced technology to combat fraud.
We also need some honest thinking on several scores. The Department of Personnel and Technology must explain the rationale for allowing mental disability within the disability quota for civil services, which require serious and consistent application of mind. It is also unclear why the examination has no aptitude test unlike the Defence Services.
We need to impose serious penalties on officers and doctors who certify people wrongly without doing due diligence. The courts play an important role here. When one wrong person is selected for the services, another deserving candidate is denied their rightful place in the government. The civil services are no place for self-seekers who have no interest in serving the nation and who only clear the exam to enjoy the perks that come with the services, such as a chauffeur-driven car. It is high time we made changes at the procedural and structural levels.
Ashok Thakur, Former Education Secretary, Government of India; S.S. Mantha, Former Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education
Published - October 02, 2024 02:18 am IST
