Hota Committee

Background and evolution

India's civil services, inherited from the colonial Indian Civil Service, were designed for administration and revenue collection. By the early 2000s, critics argued that they had become rigid, risk-averse and prone to political interference, and lacked domain expertise for modern governance. Several committees had considered parts of the problem, including the Kothari Committee (1976) on recruitment and the Alagh Committee (2001) on the examination system.

In 2004, the Department of Personnel and Training appointed a committee under P. C. Hota to examine civil service reforms broadly, covering recruitment, training, performance, accountability and ethics. Its report fed into the later work of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005–09), particularly its tenth report on refurbishing personnel administration.

Key features and provisions

• Fixed tenure: minimum tenure in posts to reduce arbitrary transfers, and a Civil Services Board to recommend transfers and postings.
• Performance appraisal: replace the Annual Confidential Report with a more open, objective Performance Appraisal Report, with numerical grading and sharing with the officer.
• Domain competence: officers to specialise in sectors after initial years, with mid-career training linked to domain areas.
• Lateral entry: induction of experts from outside at senior levels on contract.
• Integrity: a code of ethics for civil servants, protection for honest officers, and quick action against corruption.
• Age of entry: reduce the upper age limit for entry to improve training and career length.
• E-governance: use of IT to improve transparency and efficiency.
• Retirement: compulsory retirement of non-performing officers after review at 15 and 25 years of service.
• Political neutrality: insulate civil servants from political pressure through statutory protection.