Kothari Committee (1976)
Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Kothari Committee (1976) reviewed how the UPSC selects civil servants. It recommended a three-stage examination: a preliminary test to screen candidates, then a main written exam, then an interview. This became the basic structure of the civil services examination that is still used today.
Example
The UPSC introduced the preliminary, main and interview format from 1979. Later reviews built on it. Examples are the Satish Chandra Committee (1989), the Alagh Committee (2001), the CSAT paper (2011) and the Baswan Committee (2016).
Don't confuse with
- Baswan Committee (2016): it reviewed age limits, attempts and the exam scheme long after the Kothari format was in place.
- Macaulay Committee (1854): it first brought in open competitive examination for the colonial ICS.
Related concepts
- Central Civil Services
- State Civil Services
- Recruitment and conditions of service of public servants
- Department of Personnel and Training
- Baswan Committee (2016)
- Staff Selection Commission
- National Recruitment Agency