'Recruit for public service, not public office.' How can selection processes assess a candidate's motivation and foresight? Discuss with reference to *Nagrik Devo Bhava*.

At UPSC's centenary on 1 October 2026, the Prime Minister said recruitment should test why a candidate wants to join the civil services, not just what they know. He grounded this in Nagrik Devo Bhava ("the citizen is divine"), which replaces the old "Mai-Baap" idea of government as provider [1].

Nagrik Devo Bhava as the yardstick

• Every selection process should pass two tests: Nation First and Citizen First. Administration should be Pro-People, Pro-Active, Good Governance [1].
• This means looking for recruits who see the post as a duty owed to citizens, not as a source of status.

Assessing motivation

• Situational judgement tests: set grievance or service-delivery dilemmas and check whether the candidate puts the citizen ahead of procedure or status.
• Personality test redesign: ask about what the candidate has actually done, such as volunteering, community work or field exposure. Rehearsed statements carry little weight here.
• GS-IV case studies: give more marks for empathy, probity and accountability.
• Tracking after entry: the PM suggested that trainee officers write down why they joined and later compare it with their conduct [1]. No marks depend on it, so there is no reason to fake it. It works as a mirror, not a filter.

Assessing foresight

• Scenario questions on new problems such as deepfakes, information warfare, algorithmic bias and climate justice [1].
• Problem-solving simulations that test whether a candidate can spot problems before they arise and judge how a law will affect the public [1].
• Policy exercises on an urbanising India in 2047, where citizens used to AI will expect real-time service [1].

Limits to keep in view

• Subjectivity: motivation cannot be marked right or wrong, and anything that earns marks can be coached. More weight would fall on the interview, which is already the most subjective stage.
• Inclusion: about 70% of UPSC civil services recruits come from technical streams [2]. New tests should widen this pool, in line with the UPSC Chairman's call for inclusivity [3].
• Speed: each exam cycle already takes 6–12 months. The Parliamentary Standing Committee recommends no more than six months [2], so new stages must not make the cycle longer.

UPSC can select for both service ethos and foresight by combining tested situational exercises, a reformed interview and tracking of motivation after entry, without losing objectivity or speed. If this builds on the Second ARC's agenda for refurbishing personnel administration [4], Nagrik Devo Bhava can become the real measure of a civil servant. That would keep UPSC's century-old commitment to merit in step with Viksit Bharat @2047.