Telangana Departmental Selection Committee

The early Asaf Jahi rulers of the Hyderabad State followed the Mughal administrative traditions, and practices and appointed public servants on the basis of nomination and representation. Until the time of Mir Mahaboob Ali Pasha, the Sixth Nizam, (1869-1911) no public officer of any category was appointed on the basis of selection and no foundation was laid for the creation of modern bureaucracy based on worth, merit, and selection. After the assumption of full powers by Nizam VI in 1884, a new era in the management of services began. Sir Salar Jung I, the Diwan (Prime Minister) was the creator of the modern Hyderabad Civil Service. In 1882, Salar Jung issued the extraordinary Jareeda and emphasized the need to educate and train the young Hyderabadis for recruitment in the Nizam’s Services. He propounded the idea of building an efficient administrative system on the model of British India and introduced several administrative reforms. He dismantled the old/archaic administrative structure and streamlined the public institutions by creating a distinct civil service class. The establishment of the Zilabandi system, the creation of the Subedari and Taluqdari system, Revenue, Police, and Judicial reforms by Salar Jung facilitated the formation of the Hyderabad Civil Service. Subsequently, the proclamation of Qanuncha Mubarik of 1892, the Cabinet Council, and the Executive Council (1919) framed rules and regulations governing the services as well as regulated and institutionalized the Hyderabad Civil Services. These bodies further strengthened the scheme of administrative reforms introduced by Salar Jung I. Later, the different rules announced by the Nizams covered several aspects of the management of public servants like classification of services, appointments, promotions, salaries, superannuation pension, etc. The legal framework of the Hyderabad State Services was laid by the Rules and regulations codified in 1919.

The presentation of the 1892 Constitution by the Sixth Nizam, was considered a landmark in the field of personnel management in the Hyderabad State. Likewise, under the 1919 Constitution, the ruler exercised sovereign authority over the serves. In accordance with the 1919 Firman, Hyderabad Civil Service Committee was established, and as a personnel agency it played a significant role in the management of civil services. It was independent in its functioning and no attempt was made to bring pressure on the decision-making process of the Committee. It was a multifunctional agency and closely associated with all aspects of Hyderabad Civil Service. It had to conduct examinations for the selection and placement of the candidates for the various vacancies in different departments.

In 1938, through a resolution of the Executive Council, a Committee was constituted comprising all Secretaries to Government with the Finance Member as the President and an officer of the Finance Department as Secretary to examine the possibility and role of an agency or agencies for recruitment and appointment and its/their sphere(s) of action. After detailed discussion, it was recommended to establish an independent and impartial recruitment agency, known as the Hyderabad Public Service Commission. The Committee opined that the efficiency of an administration depends on its personnel. It is therefore evident that the procedure of recruitment especially for the higher services of the administration, plays an important role in creating and maintaining its standard and efficiency. Accordingly, the Hyderabad Public Service Commission was established by a Firman on 27 April 1947. The establishment of the Commission was a significant landmark in the organization and management of civil services during the Asaf Jahi rule. It brought the entire administrative machinery of civil services of the Nizam’s State in tune with the modern times. The Hyderabad Civil Service was a coveted service in the¿ State of Hyderabad. It was considered to be an elite service, and the best of the government officers were inducted into it through a competitive examination. It was abolished¿ after the Police Action in 1948 and its Officers were absorbed into the Indian government civil services. The Hyderabad Public Service Commission was constituted on the model of the British Provincial Public Service Commission with similar functions. It consisted of a Chairman and Members not exceeding four in number. They were appointed by His Highness the Nizam on the recommendation of the President of the Executive Council. The Chairman and Members of the Hyderabad Public Service Commission were not permitted to further employment after relinquishing their office. The Public Commission established by the last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1947 became the forerunner of the Hyderabad Public Service Commission under the Constitution of India, during the period of Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, the first elected Chief Minister of Hyderabad State. The Hyderabad Public Service Commission was finally merged into the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission in 1956. Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission was in existence until the united Andhra Pradesh State was bifurcated into Telangana State and AP State in accordance with the AP Reorganization Act, 2014.