Sir,
Apropos M Y G Nairang’s letter on PSC appointments ( DE March 4). While hailing Governor’s decision to prescribe a procedure for appointment of PSC Members, he has made unwarranted remarks and unfounded charges on the past members of the Commission and the PSC. Making sweeping remarks on them and describing PSC “as an icon of corruption, nepotism and inefficiency” is highly improper and defamatory. If he has any evidence to prove his allegations he should come out with these and identify those whom he claimed to have made tons of money. One can’t get away with such contemptuous remarks in an esteemed paper.
Having the honour of serving in the PSC for five years, I challenge Mr Nairang or for that matter anyone else to prove such types of charges or else offer apology for attempting to denigrate a constitutional institution and the its recent Members. He is absolutely ignorant of the functioning of the PSC in the last five years to which I was among the active participants. During this period the Members made the selection system more transparent and objective by minimizing the discretion of the Members / Chairman. The changed objective criterion was adopted that gave more thrust on academic merit, publications, experience and marks awarded by two subject experts. The old system of consensus by the interview board has long been given goodbye as it had element of manipulation. Still, no institution can claim perfect and in this spirit I don’t wish to rule out some odd cases of favoritism but overwhelming selection was without interference of even Members. Not many knows that J&K PSC was probably the only recruiting agency in the country to have introduced video recording of interviews for State’s premier civil services during last two sessions. Members’ marks in the interviews were reduced to almost negligible and inconsequential in other selections. I don’t wish to compare PSC with J&K SSB but I proudly vouch for the best possible selection made by PSC in the recent past.
Though there were some rumblings within the multi-member Commission, but even that was converted into an opportunity to improve the system which we collectively succeeded in achieving the objective. We, however, failed to break the monopoly of some overstayed officials who managed to continue there for decades and after retirement got repeated re-engagement as consultants. The Chairman and Members retire and replaced by others but not these employees. Some of us believed that such practice created vested interest. Hope that the coming dispensation in PSC and the new state Govt would address this issue.
Yours etc….
K B Jandial, IAS (retd)
Former Member J&K PSC
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