Chennai, Apr 25: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today opposed the “in-principle” approval given by the Centre to UPSC to change the method of induction of state service officers into the All India Service through a common written examination.
Terming the changes as “half-baked reforms”, she urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to reconsider the nod given by the government to UPSC and insisted the “existing pattern be retained”.
In a letter to Singh, she also requested him to direct the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) not to proceed further with the preparatory work for such a common examination, as per the recommendations of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission.
Referring to the letter from UPSC indicating that the Centre has approved “in-principle” the change in method of induction of state service officers into IAS and that a meeting has been called on Apr 26 to finalise the syllabus for common written examination, Jayalalithaa slammed it as an “irrational and pointless mechanism”.
Such an exercise would only demotivate state service officers and would also result in these officers focusing more on examination preparation rather than on performing their official duties, she said.
“Such a mode of recruitment would also upset the existing administrative seniority and hierarchy and the state specific reservation pattern”, Jayalalithaa pointed out.
The Chief Minister termed the move as yet another example of the Centre trying to “unilaterally” overturn a good working arrangement that was time-tested and effective in which state government have been given a significant role and amounted to “usurping” that role through the back door.
She opposed the reduction of age limit for eligibility for induction into the IAS from 54 years to 40 and said this “retrograde” recommendation would badly undermine the aspiration of officers who have served the state with dedication in the expectation of promotion or selection to IAS.
