Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has pointed out that transparency and public accountability in conducting examinations and interviews must not only be fair but also be seen as fair. He was speaking in Bengaluru today after inaugurating the 25th National Conference of Chairpersons of State Public Service Commissions.
He said that it was the vision of former President Rajendra Prasad to create an independent commission that is free from executive influence and will guard against jobbery, nepotism, and favouritism. He expressed concern over emerging trends of bureaucrats and politicians securing elite positions for their spouses.
The focus must shift to addressing post-retirement recruitment and continual extensions, which create discordance in the hierarchical system. He called for a profound transformation in recruitment methodologies. Saying that the top 500 companies employ the best tools for headhunting, the vice president said that the government recruiter cannot remain fossilised with a stagnant set-up. He suggested a dialogue, if needed, with the private sector to understand best practices in talent acquisition and look into the scope of their emulation by state commissions.
He called for establishing the Public Service Commission as the sole unified recruitment authority that works with the spirit of convergence between state and central governments. The Vice President wished for a transparent and technologically equipped bureaucracy that can work for our vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.