The major role played by the Commission is to select persons to man the various Central Civil Services and Posts and the Services common to the Union and States (viz. All-India Services).
Expenses of public service commissions
The expenses of the Union or a State Public Service Commission, including any salaries, allowances and pensions payable to or in respect of the members or staff of the Commission, shall be charged on the consolidated Fund of India or, as the case may be, the Consolidated Fund of the State.
Under Article 320 of the Constitution of India, the Commission are, inter-alia, required to be consulted on all matters relating to recruitment to civil services and posts.
Recruitment is made by one of the following three methods: 1. Direct Recruitment;
2. Promotion; and
3. Transfer
Direct recruitment is conducted broadly under the following two methods:
1. Recruitment by competitive examination.
2. Recruitment by selection through interview.
Recruitment by competitive examination
Under the Constitution one of the functions of the Commission is to conduct examinations for appointment to Civil Services/Posts of the Union. In addition, competitive examinations are also held, by the Commission under arrangements with the Ministry of Defence for entry to certain Defence Services, through the National Defence Academy, Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and the Officers Training Academy.
The Commission usually conducts over a dozen examinations every year on an all India basis. These include Examinations for recruitment to services/posts in various fields, such as Civil Services, Engineering, Medical and Forest Service, etc. At present the Union Public Service Commission conduct their examinations at numerous venues spread over 42 regular centers throughout the country.
Recruitment by selection
Recruitment by Selection is made by the following methods:
1. By Interview Only
2. By Recruitment Test Followed By Interview
By interview only
Where the number of applicants is very large, it is not practicable to call for Interview all the applicants who fulfill the minimum eligibility conditions prescribed. The Commission, therefore, short list the