UPSC chairman Ajay Kumar on Wednesday emphasised the importance of assessing candidates for qualities such as reasoning, spontaneous thinking and judgment under ambiguity, rather than their ability to reproduce predictable or coached model answers.
NEW DELHI — UPSC chairman Ajay Kumar on Wednesday emphasised the importance of assessing candidates for qualities such as reasoning, spontaneous thinking and judgment under ambiguity, rather than their ability to reproduce predictable or coached model answers.
Addressing an event here, he outlined the Union Public Service Commission's vision for the next phase of its journey through the three guiding principles of trust, transparency and technology.
Kumar said that institutions must adapt to changing circumstances while preserving the principles fundamental to their constitutional role asserting that the Commission must change what needs to change so that what must never change can be preserved.
"While technology and examination formats can evolve, the core constitutional principles of merit, fairness and equal opportunity remain enduring," he said.
"On examination reforms, the UPSC chairman emphasised the importance of assessing candidates for qualities such as reasoning, spontaneous thinking and judgment under ambiguity, rather than their ability to reproduce predictable or coached model answers," said an official statement.
Kumar also highlighted the use of digital e-admit cards and face authentication as measures to strengthen examination integrity.
The UPSC on Wednesday commenced its two-day centenary celebrations, titled 'Manthan', at Bharat Mandapam here, marking the completion of 100 years of the institution's journey.
The celebrations brought together senior public functionaries and eminent speakers for deliberations on the evolving role of civil services, innovations in public administration and the institutional values that underpin public service.
Addressing the gathering, Kumar highlighted the scale and diversity of the Commission's work, noting that UPSC undertakes approximately 250 distinct recruitment processes every year, covering disciplines ranging from engineering, medical and scientific fields to economics and defence.
The Commission also conducts the civil services examination annually to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.
Kumar highlighted that the UPSC examination calendar is prepared 18 months in advance, reflecting the extensive planning required for its recruitment processes.
The first session of the centenary deliberations was held on the theme 'Role of Civil Services in Viksit Bharat' under the leadership of Suman Sharma, Member, UPSC. The session brought together Gen N S Raja Subramani, Chief of Defence Staff; Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and former Foreign Secretary; and Sanjay Shrinet, Chairman, Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission.
Sharma emphasised the need for outcome-driven administration and highlighted the role of civil servants as primary instruments for translating policy into ground-level outcomes. She called for a shift from procedural excuses towards proactive facilitation and for measuring administration through transformative outcomes on the ground rather than merely through financial expenditure.
Gen Subramani highlighted the need to overcome departmental silos, take intelligent risks and demonstrate decisiveness in an environment marked by rapid disruption and increasing civil-military convergence. He underlined the need for an agile and problem-solving civil service.
Shringla emphasised the importance of widening recruitment into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and aspirational districts, as well as bringing younger candidates into public service. He also referred to the principles of Antyodaya and Nishkama Karma, stressing the responsibility of public servants to serve the last person in the queue.
Shrinet said that reforms should empower the grassroots machinery responsible for executing public programmes, noting that the overwhelming majority of the administrative machinery is below Group A level.
He called for a shift from authority to accountability and highlighted the importance of administrators functioning as genuine public servants or 'sevaks'.
The second session, titled 'Innovations in Public Service', was chaired by Lt Gen Raj Shukla (retd), Member, UPSC. Shaktikanta Das, Principal Secretary-2 to the Prime Minister, delivered the keynote address.
Das commended the UPSC as the "gateway to public service", lauding its steadfast commitment to integrity, fairness, and perseverance in the selection process. He highlighted key administrative initiatives and innovations introduced by the government, while outlining a strategic roadmap to advance the vision of Viksit Bharat.
The discussions highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence, data analytics and digital architectures to reduce bureaucratic friction and optimise service delivery, said the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.
The session also emphasised the need for government systems to respond in real time to confident, aspirational and digitally literate population.
The deliberations further underscored the importance of breaking bureaucratic compartmentalisation, encouraging cross-departmental learning and building a future-ready civil service equipped to respond to emerging challenges, the statement said.
The centenary discussions also reflected on the Commission's continuing adoption of technology. UPSC's technology journey has evolved over several decades, beginning with the introduction of computers in 1978, followed by successive technological interventions in its examination and recruitment processes.
More recent reforms include the introduction of the Universal Registration Number in 2025, randomised interview boards, a dedicated Candidate Helpdesk with a 30-channel IP call centre and a two-level escalation mechanism, and the expansion of examination centres.
The centenary marks a century-long institutional journey that began on October 1, 1926, when the first Public Service Commission in India was constituted as an advisory body. Over the decades, the institution evolved into an independent constitutional body, the statement said.