UPSC Prelims 2021 Q78: Ayyangar Committee & Dept of Personnel Explained
With reference to the Union Government, consider the following statements:
1. N. Gopalaswamy Iyengar Committee suggested that a minister and a secretary be designated solely for pursuing the subject of administrative reform and promoting it.
2. In 1970, the Department of Personnel was constituted on the recommendation of the Administrative Reforms Commission, 1966, and this was placed under the Prime Minister's charge.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — The N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar report of 1949, on reorganising the machinery of the Central Government, dealt with how ministries should be grouped and how the government's staff could work more efficiently. It did not propose designating a minister and a secretary solely to pursue administrative reform. Permanent machinery for reform came later: an Organisation and Methods (O&M) Division in the Cabinet Secretariat in 1954, after Paul Appleby's report, and a Department of Administrative Reforms in the Ministry of Home Affairs in March 1964.
- 2: correct — The First Administrative Reforms Commission (set up on 5 January 1966) recommended a separate department for personnel matters, placed directly under the Prime Minister. Following that recommendation, the Department of Personnel was created in 1970 inside the Cabinet Secretariat, which works directly under the Prime Minister. It began working on 1 August 1970. The department was moved to the Ministry of Home Affairs only in 1977.
- 2: correct — The First Administrative Reforms Commission (set up on 5 January 1966) recommended a separate department for personnel matters, placed directly under the Prime Minister. Following that recommendation, the Department of Personnel was created in 1970 inside the Cabinet Secretariat, which works directly under the Prime Minister. It began working on 1 August 1970. The department was moved to the Ministry of Home Affairs only in 1977.
How to eliminate
This question needs the facts; basic knowledge does not settle it. Statement 2 can be reasoned out. The First ARC (1966–70) is well known for its report on personnel administration, and today's Ministry of Personnel is still held by the Prime Minister. A 1970 Department of Personnel under the PM's charge on ARC advice is therefore plausible. Statement 1 is harder. The word 'solely' and the very specific design (one minister and one secretary only for reform) are a warning sign. Ayyangar's 1949 report was a general review of how ministries were organised, not a plan for dedicated reform posts. Fact to remember: Ayyangar (1949) dealt with reorganising ministries; the Department of Personnel came in 1970, after the ARC, in the Cabinet Secretariat under the PM.
Know more
How India built its administrative-reform machinery
After Independence, administrative reform came in many separate reports rather than through one body. Later reviews call these early efforts limited and uncoordinated.
| Year | Step | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar report | Reviewed how the Central Government's ministries were organised and grouped |
| 1951 | A.D. Gorwala report on Public Administration | Reviewed efficiency and integrity in administration |
| 1954 | O&M Division, Cabinet Secretariat | Set up after Paul Appleby's report to improve office methods |
| 1964 | Department of Administrative Reforms (MHA) | Permanent unit to act on past recommendations; O&M merged into it |
| 1966–70 | First ARC (Morarji Desai, then K. Hanumanthaiya) | 20 reports; wound up on 30 June 1970 |
| 1970 | Department of Personnel, Cabinet Secretariat | Created on ARC advice, under the PM |
| 1973 | Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms | Reform work moved into the personnel department |
| 1977 | Moved to Ministry of Home Affairs | |
| 1985 | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions | Three departments: DoPT, DARPG, and Pension and Pensioners' Welfare |
Points to remember
- The Cabinet Secretariat works directly under the Prime Minister. Placing the new department there put it under the PM's charge.
- Today the Prime Minister holds the Ministry of Personnel, with a Minister of State handling day-to-day work.
- The Second ARC (2005, M. Veerappa Moily, later V. Ramachandran) is a separate body. Do not mix up its reports with the First ARC's.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- First Administrative Reforms Commission: Statement 2 depends on what the First Administrative Reforms Commission recommended about handling personnel matters.
- Department of Personnel and Training: Today's DoPT grew out of the 1970 department named in Statement 2; its history shows where that department sat.
- Second Administrative Reforms Commission: Helps you keep the 2005 Second ARC apart from the 1966 Commission named in the question.