GROWTH OF CIVIL ADMINISTRATION

The British once became the masters of bengal their utmost preogative was to introduce an administrative system that would subserve the interest of the colonialism. It was also motivated by breeding a class of administrators that would remain to the British and assure a smooth functioning of the system. Further the British also envisaged a policy of extending control effectively over the colonial subjects.

Frantic attempts in this regard where made by Robert Clive and Warren Hastings. However neither clive nor Hastings could effectively curb the increasing corruption among the civil servants and check the unhealthy practices. Primarily the whole administration system was manned by the servants of East India Company. The Regulating Act 1773 for the first time assured an effective control over the administrative system.

Under Lord Cornwallis whole civil administration was given a new impetus. For the first time the administrative services were categorise, salaries of the employees and conditions of services were clearly laid down. All the services where declared "covenanted services of EIC". For the first time the principle of seniority was followed regarding promotions. However, the entry into the civil services was not open to the Indian subject, as Cornwallis held them, in a low profile.

Under Lord Wellesley a concerted effort was made to train the civil servants of EIC on the basic issues of Indian society, culture and economy. A school was founded in this regard at Fort Williams at Calcutta in 1800. Later in 1806 Hailey bury college was founded in London to train EIC servants.

All the appointments to the covenanted services under EIC were restricted for the English only till a provision was made in 1854 Charter Act. The Act also provided for recruitment through competitive examinations. Fruther it effectively brought all the appointments made to the different services under the control of the Board of Control which was under the control of the British Cabinet. It was queen's proclamation Act 1858 that assured the induction of the Indian into the decision making and other covenanted services under the government. All the appointments were to be made by the Secretary of State for India on the recommendations of the Civil services board. However Indians could not avail the privileges as British deliberately restricted the scope by reducing the age limit from 22 to 21 in 1866 and from 21 to 19 in 1978.

Satyander Nath Tagore and Subhas Gupta could become the earliest civil servants by 1863.

Under Lord Lytton much more stringent measures were taken against the Indian. Categorically, he refused to hold the examinations simultaneously in India and England. It was during his time, "the statutory services" were created for the first time. They were were meant for the elite sections of the Indian to be appointed in the covenanted services, not less than 1/3rd of the total vacancies. however in 1884 the statutory services were abolished under Lord Dufferin.

The congress since its formation in 1885 advocated for increasing the age limit and to hold the examinations at a time in England and India. In 1886 Dufferin promised to induct more Indians into the civil services and appointed Lord Aitchison committee go into the details and suggest ways and means for the particular purpose. The Committee recommended for.

1. Abolition of the differences between covenanted and uncovenanted services. It divided all the services into three categories.

a. imperial Indian civil services
b. provincial services
c. subordinate services

It also increased the age limit to 22 years. However it did not admit the claim for simultaneous exams to the Indians in Indians had to satisfy more with subordinate services and provincial services.

In 1894 the House of commons recommended for holding the civil services exams both in England and India at a time. However this could not materialize due to protest form the conservative party.

The Montague Chelmsford reforms started a new phase in the history of the civil services. For the first time, services were brought under the effective control of the provincial Governments. They also conceded the demand for creating separate provincial recruitment boards.

In 1927 Lord Lee committee was appointed to provide equal opportunities for the Indians to get into the imperial services. the committee recommended for the 'principle of party recruitment' between the Indians and the English. It also suggested that, not less than 1/3rd of the total civil services posts must be reserved for the Indians even though the British Government continued to discriminate the Indians against the British officers.

the Government of India Act 1935 provided for a Federal Service Commissions and also Provincial Service commissions.