Baswan Committee (2016)
Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Baswan Committee (2016) was set up to review the UPSC civil services examination. It looked at age limits, the number of attempts allowed and the overall exam scheme. It is one of a line of reviews of the exam. The Kothari Committee (1976) came first, followed by Satish Chandra (1989), Alagh (2001) and then Baswan.
Example
By 2016, the exam had seen big changes. CSAT was introduced in 2011 and made qualifying (33%) in 2015. A GS-IV Ethics paper was added in 2013. The Baswan Committee was asked whether the eligibility rules and exam pattern still suited the needs of the services.
Don't confuse with
- Kothari Committee (1976): it created the three-stage format of preliminary, main and interview, used from 1979. The Baswan Committee reviewed that system decades later.
- Hota Committee (2004): it dealt with wider civil service reform, such as lateral entry and appraisal, not mainly the exam.
Related concepts
- Central Civil Services
- State Civil Services
- Recruitment and conditions of service of public servants
- Department of Personnel and Training
- Kothari Committee (1976)
- Staff Selection Commission
- National Recruitment Agency