UPSC is the dream, State PSCs are the backbone

The spotlight may remain fixed on the UPSC, but it is India's State Public Service Commissions that recruit the officers citizens meet every day. As protests erupt over the Jharkhand PSC and controversies surface across states, a bigger question emerges. Who will restore trust in the system that hires the backbone of state governance?

In Short

• JPSC row is the latest reminder that India’s State PSCs need systemic reforms, not just damage control
• From Jharkhand to Bihar and Maharashtra, repeated recruitment controversies are eroding trust of aspirants.
• Experts say India needs transparent, time-bound and technology-driven reforms to restore credibility to State PSCs

Every morning, they return to the same stretch of road in Ranchi... Some spread out newspapers on the pavement, others clutch files carrying years of preparation. As the protests over alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations stretch into a second week, hunger strikes, Tiranga marches and negotiations with the government have become part of their daily routine.

They are not protesting against unemployment alone. They are protesting against uncertainty.

Some had left stable private jobs to prepare, while others had exhausted their family savings. Many have crossed the age at which they cannot comfortably start over.

The immediate trigger is the controversy surrounding the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Civil Services Examination. But the anger spilling onto the streets is about something much larger. It is about whether India’s state recruitment machinery still commands the confidence of the very people it is meant to serve.

The irony is striking.

It is true that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) dominates headlines every year. Toppers become household names. Coaching hubs celebrate selections. Yet many of the officers who shape the daily lives of millions are sometimes not UPSC recruits.

Be it the deputy collector overseeing land disputes, the Block Development Officer implementing welfare schemes, the Deputy Superintendent of Police maintaining law and order, the Commercial Tax Officer ensuring revenue collection, or the Labour Officer resolving workplace disputes — this list is long.

Most of them enter government service through State Public Service Commissions. If the UPSC recruits India’s top administrators, State PSCs recruit the administrative machinery that keeps states functioning.

When that machinery begins to falter, governance itself begins to suffer.

A PATTERN THAT DOESN’T DISAPPEAR

Jharkhand is only the latest example. Over the past decade, multiple State Public Service Commissions have faced allegations ranging from paper leaks and recruitment scams to interview irregularities, prolonged delays and repeated cancellations.

Bihar Public Service Commission examinations have witnessed protests over alleged irregularities and evaluation concerns. The Maharashtra Public Service Commission has repeatedly delayed recruitment cycles, prompting demonstrations by aspirants.

The Karnataka Public Service Commission has faced legal challenges over recruitment processes in recent years. Rajasthan Public Service Commission examinations have also periodically landed in controversy following allegations of paper leaks.

The Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission cancelled several recruitment examinations in 2022 after question paper leak investigations, leading the state government to launch a wider crackdown on recruitment fraud.

Each controversy may have its own facts, but together they tell one story.

For lakhs of young Indians, securing a government job increasingly feels less like clearing an examination and more like surviving an unpredictable process.

THE FACES BEHIND THE PROTESTS

The JPSC agitation has thrown up stories that go far beyond statistics. Our reporter spoke to a young aspirant who had quit his private-sector job after clearing the preliminary examination, believing years of preparation would finally pay off. Today, he says his career stands suspended between court cases and uncertainty.

Another India Today Digital report featured candidates who had spent six to seven years preparing exclusively for State Civil Services examinations. Many have crossed 30, making every delayed recruitment cycle a race against the upper age limit.

There are women who postponed marriage to continue preparing, candidates whose parents mortgaged land to pay for coaching and hostel expenses, and families that have watched one examination after another get delayed or challenged.

Their stories may differ, but their anxiety does not.

THE HIDDEN COST OF BROKEN RECRUITMENT

The consequences extend far beyond disappointed candidates. Delayed recruitment means thousands of sanctioned government posts remain vacant.

According to the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), vacancies across public institutions directly affect service delivery, administrative efficiency and the implementation of welfare schemes. Independent studies by the Centre for Policy Research have similarly highlighted how shortages in field-level administration weaken governance capacity, particularly in districts and rural areas.

Vacant positions often translate into existing officers handling multiple responsibilities. Files move more slowly, development projects are delayed, and citizens are forced to wait longer for public services.

Recruitment failures are therefore not merely examination failures; they eventually become governance failures.

STOP TREATING EVERY CONTROVERSY AS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT

Former civil servant and governance expert Dr Anil Sarma believes recurring recruitment controversies point to institutional weaknesses rather than one-off mistakes.

“Every controversy is treated as an isolated event. It is this approach that misses the larger issue. Recruitment institutions must become professionally managed, technologically robust and fully accountable if public confidence is to be restored.”

Another retired IAS officer from the 1964 batch, Anisha Menon, argues that independence alone is not enough.

“Constitutional protection gives commissions autonomy, but autonomy has to be matched with transparency. Every stage—from setting question papers to conducting interviews and publishing results—must inspire confidence.”

Both experts agree on one point. Candidates lose years, not just examinations.

Education policy expert Prof Poornima Verma says prolonged recruitment cycles have emotional consequences that are rarely discussed.

“When an examination is cancelled after months or years of preparation, candidates lose much more than an opportunity. They lose time, financial stability and confidence in public institutions.”

Career mentor and civil services educator Aaravind Ojha believes governments underestimate the human cost.

“Every delayed examination means another year of uncertainty for thousands of families. Recruitment cannot become an endless cycle of postponements and litigation.”

CAN TECHNOLOGY SOLVE THE PROBLEM?

Experts say technology alone is not the answer. Digital encryption of question papers, AI-assisted monitoring, biometric verification, secure printing systems and end-to-end audit trails can reduce risks.

But reforms also require institutional accountability.

The former bureaucrats we spoke to for this article suggest several measures, including a fixed annual examination calendar backed by law. They say independent audits of examination processes are key to preventing paper leaks and restoring public confidence.

They also call for greater transparency in interviews and evaluation, mandatory disclosure of recruitment timelines, and stricter accountability for delays.

Perhaps the most important reform they advocate is the time-bound resolution of examination disputes.

Governance expert Dr Dinesh Mohanty who teaches at Osmania University, also recommends periodic external audits of State PSCs.

“Public institutions earn credibility not by claiming integrity but by demonstrating it consistently,” Mohanty tells us.

THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE DREAM

The scale of the issue becomes clearer when viewed nationally. According to the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, millions of candidates appear for public recruitment examinations conducted every year across central and state agencies.

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) has consistently shown that government employment remains one of the most preferred career choices among educated youth because of job security, predictable career progression and social prestige.

Meanwhile, the India Employment Report 2024 by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Institute for Human Development notes that educated unemployment remains particularly high among young graduates, making competitive government recruitment even more significant.

Every cancelled examination therefore affects not just careers but also public confidence in one of India’s most trusted pathways to social mobility.

Unless deeper reforms follow, another commission, another examination and another generation of aspirants could find themselves protesting for the very same reasons.

State Public Service Commissions may not command the prestige or public attention associated with the UPSC, yet they recruit thousands of officers whom citizens interact with every day, from deputy collectors and DSPs to block development officers, commercial tax officers and labour officers.

When those recruitment systems stop inspiring trust, the impact travels well beyond examination halls. Ultimately, this is no longer just about who gets a government job. It is about who keeps the machinery of government running, and whether the system that recruits them still deserves the public’s trust.

- Ends