ALL INDIA SERVICES

Key Points

• All India services officers working in states were coming forward to opt for tenure with the centre.
• An overwhelming majority would like to be in the comfort zone of their state cadres and vegetate there rather than migrate.
• There is no reflection on the centre's ability or willingness to offer incentives to maintain the morale of Indian Administrative Services and Indian Police Service officers who choose to work for it on deputation.

Why reluctant to opt for Deputation?

• Rigour of GOI routine long hours of work and the need for extreme clinical care in preparation and submission of reports going up the hierarchy sometimes up to PM himself.
• Compound this with fewer creature comforts than what is available in a state environment as also the need to operate sometimes far away from one’s native state.
• This is a serious situation if one reckons that the manpower demands of GOI ministries are growing.
• There is no doubt now as there is a lateral entry scheme meant for qualified personnel from the public and private sectors.
• Their number is too small to make even a marginal difference to the deteriorating vacancy position at the centre.
• The case of IPS is equally bad; there are too many vacancies in CRPF, CISF, CBI, and NIA.
• The non-IPS direct recruits to the Paramilitary forces are permanently at war with the Home Ministry, demanding a greater share of the jobs in the higher echelons.
• A major grouse of the latter is that none of them can ever rise to head the forces.
• The rationale is that they lack the experience at the grassroots of policing essentially to operate in unison with the local civil authorities.

The AIS Appointments 

• The selection of AIS officers is done through the UPSC.
• Appointment officers are allotted to various states thereafter they spend most of their career in those states, intervened by short spells of deputation to the centre.
• While they are functioning under a state government, disciplinary authority is vested in the former, except that a state cannot impose a major penalty on a delinquent AIS officer for any misconduct.
• Suspension of an officer from the service by a state government will have to be ratified by the centre before the end of three months.
• This is meant to safeguard against any arbitrary action by a state government.
• Cases of totally unjustified harassment of a distinguished police officer who was harassed for reporting to the Indian government after the state went back on its earlier promise to relieve her to join a central organization.
• There was a short-lived tussle between the state and the Ministry of Home Affairs over this issue.
• It is in situations like these where the canons of prudent and mature governance are ignored that pose a threat to the foundation of All India services.

Empowering the Centre 

• It is in this context that the centre dialogue with the state over amending rules of AIS assumes importance.
• Such amendment would empower the centre to commandeer the services of any officer serving in the states to work for the former, with or without the concurrence of the state concerned or the consent of the particular officer.

UPSC

• Article 315 to 323 in part xiv of the constitution deals with UPSC.
• Central recruiting agency.
• Independent constitutional body.

Composition 

• The UPSC consists of a chairman and other members appointed by the President of India.
• The Constitution without specifying the strength of commission has left the matter to the discretion of the President, who determines its composition.
• Further, no qualifications are prescribed for the commission‘s membership except that one-half of the members of the commission should be the person who has held office for the last 10 years either under the Government of India or under the Government of state.
• The chairman and members of the omission hold office for a term of six years or until they attain the age of 65 years.
• They can relinquish their offices at any time by addressing their resignation to the President.

Removal

President can remove the chairman or any other member of UPSC from the office under the following circumstances.

• In addition to these, President can also remove the chairman or any other member of UPSC for misbehaviour.
• However, in this case, the President has to refer the matter to Supreme Court for inquiry.
• The advice tender by Supreme Court is binding on the President.

Functions 

• Under Article 320 of the Constitution of India.
• The Commission is, inter-alia, required to be consulted on all matters relating to recruitment to civil services and posts.
• The functions of the Commission under Article 320 of the Constitution are:

1. Conduct examinations for appointment to the services of the Union.
2. Direct recruitment by selection through interviews.
3. Appointment of officers on promotion/deputation/absorption.
4. Framing and amendment of Recruitment Rules for various services and posts under the Government.
5. Disciplinary cases relating to different Civil Services.
6. Advising the Government on any matter referred to the Commission by the President of India.