Functions and Organisational Structure of SSC

Functions

As per Article 320 of the Constitution, the examinations for recruitment to all posts and services of the Central Government are required to be conducted by the UPSC. The Estimates Committee of Parliament in its 47th Report (1967-68) recommended setting up of a Service Selection Commission for taking over examinations for recruitment to lower category of posts from UPSC. Pursuant to this, and as an interim measure, an Examination Wing was added to the Institute of Secretariat Training and Management of Government of India.

1. The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), in their Report on Personnel Administration, drew attention to the fact that the bulk of the staff of the Government at the Centre and in the States belonged to Class III and Class IV categories.Referring to the identical nature of qualifications stipulated for entry into such posts in various offices, the ARC advocated pooling of the requirements of the nontechnical posts by different departments and selection of personnel either by joint recruitment or through a Recruitment Board. After a careful consideration of this recommendation, the Government of India decided to constitute the Subordinate Services Commission vide Resolution No. 46/1/(S)/74-Estt. `B', dated the 4th November, 1975 (Appendix-I) of Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms.

2. A Commission called Subordinate Services Commission was constituted which was subsequently re-designated as Staff Selection Commission (SSC) on 26th September, 1977 to make recruitment to Class III (now Group 'C') non-technical posts in the various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India and their Subordinate / Attached Offices . The functions of the Staff Selection Commission have been enlarged from time to time. From May, 1999, this Commission took over recruitment to all Group 'B' posts (non-gazetted) in pay scales the maximum of which was less than Rs.9300-34800 (Grade Pay RS.4600) from the Union Public
   Service Commission. From November 2003, the Central Government further authorized the Commission to make recruitment to all Group 'B' Non-Gazetted posts carrying scale of pay of Rs 9300-34800(Grade Pay Rs.4600)

3. The functions of the Staff Selection Commission as per Resolution No. 39018/1/98- Estt (B) dated 21.05.1999 and its subsequent amendments vide Resolution No.24012/8-A/2003-Estt (B) dated 13.11.2003, 29.09.2005, 14th January 2011 and 24th July, 2012 are given as under :

1. To make Recruitment to Group 'B' (Non-Gazetted) posts and Group 'C' (NonTechnical) posts under Government of India and their attached and subordinate offices, except those posts which are specifically exempt from the purview of Staff Selection Commission in Pay Band-2 and Pay Band-1 carrying Grade Pay upto Rs.4800/- through conduct of competitive examinations.

2. To make recruitment to such posts under Government of India by selection through interviews, in Pay Band-2 and Pay Band-1 carrying Grade Pay uptoRs.4800/- which may, at the discretion of the Commission, be preceded by a shortlisting or skill test.

3. To conduct Limited Departmental Competitive Examinations of the Central Secretariat Clerical/Stenographers Services and such other Services as have been or may be entrusted to the Commission.

4. To conduct periodical Skill Tests in English/Hindi and such other skill tests as may be assigned by the Government from time to time.

5. To perform such other functions as may be entrusted to it by the Central Government from time to time.To conduct examinations and/or interviews, whenever required, for recruitment to the posts within its purview.

4. Keeping in view the credibility of the Commission in handling the recruitment for the Government of India, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands Administration approached the Commission through the Department of Personnel, Government of India, for making recruitment to various posts of LDC / Steno (OG) / Accountant for them. The Commission has acceded to the request in order to assist the candidates from the remote Island population. Commission has been assisting in the entire process of recruitment including vetting of Notices, fixing up the date(s) of the examination, confirmation of contents and scheme of syllabus,preparation of Question Papers, conducting of Examinations, evaluation of answer sheets and preparation of final results of the above mentioned examinations.The Commission also provided assistance to BSF for conducting the Written Examination for recruitment to the post of Constable (GD) in BSF which was held on 21.2.2010. This was a precursor to the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs for assisting in recruitment of Constable (GD) and Riflemen in the Central Armed Police Forces. The Recruitments, advertised in February 2011, elicited response from 21.68 Lakh candidates.A proposal to broaden the mandate of the Commission to include analogous posts in statutory and autonomous bodies is under consideration of the Government since 2010.

5. Under a special dispensation given by the Government, the Commission agreed to assist the Food Corporation of India, a statutory body, for two years, in recruitment of AGII and AGIII posts, in the interest of food security of the country. The recruitment advertised in October 2011 elicited response from 786727 Lakh candidates.

6. Ministry of Home Affairs initiated a proposal during 2011-12 for recruitment of SubInspectors in Delhi Police through the Commission. The proposal was accepted by the Commission in national interest, despite burgeoning volumes of its own work and scheduled notification of the recruitment in June 2012. A proposal of MHA to entrust combined recruitment of Head Constables (Ministerial in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to the Commission is under consideration of the Government.

Organisational Structure of Staff Selection Commission

A Chairman, of the rank and status of Secretary to Government of India, heads the Commission with two Members and a Secretary-cum-Controller of Examinations who heads the Secretariat of the Commission. The sanctioned strength of Commission's staff in its Headquarters at New Delhi and Regional and SubRegional offices as on 25.7..2012 was 511. The sanctioned strength consisted of 241 Gazetted Officers (Group A 47 posts, Group B 194 post), 158 Group C and 112 Group D. Out of the total strength of 511 persons, 269 (52.64 percent) are at the Headquarters including Northern Regional office.

Distribution of sanctioned posts amongst Regional/Sub-Regional offices is 41 in Central Region, 45 in Eastern Region, 24 in Karnataka and Kerala Region, 42 in Northern Region, 23 in North Eastern Region, 37 in Southern Region, 36 in Western Region, 19 in Madhya Pradesh Sub-Region and 17 in North- Western Sub-Region.Details regarding the posts and their scale of pay, and staff strength in Headquarters and Regional offices are in Appendix D. The Organisational Chart of the Commission is given at Appendix-B A proposal has been mooted for organizational restructuring keeping in view manpower requirements vis-à-vis its mandate. The proposal broadly envisages upgradation of several posts and infusion of much needed professional expertise.

Regional Network

Unlike other Public Service Commissions,This is a unique feature aimed at providing effective links between the Commission, State Governments and Central Government Offices located in the states. The regional network has been of particular relevance in the conduct of the Commission's examinations at different centres.

2.3(B) The Commission may open more Regional / Sub-Regional Offices of the Commission at such other places as it considers necessary with the approval of the Government.

2.3(C) The Staff Selection Commission has nine Regional / Sub-Regional Offices in different parts of the country. These Regional / Sub-Regional Offices are responsible for smooth and peaceful conduct of the examinations. They provide administrative support to the Headquarters for performing various activitiesinvolved in the smooth conduct of examinations, like receipt of applications from the candidates, Electronic Data processing of applications, issue of Admit Cards (ACs) to the candidates, booking of venues at various centres within their jurisdiction in consultation with the District Authorities, sending non-confidential examination material to the Centre Supervisors and appointment of Invigilators and Inspecting Officers at various examination centres. Further, Regional Offices are also responsible for holding interviews / Physical Endurance /Physical Efficiency Test (PET)/Medical Examination, wherever required.

The Regional Offices are also responsible for contacting various Government of India offices located in the States within their jurisdiction and to collect vacancies for consolidation and communication to Headquarters. After declaration of the result by the Headquarters, the Regional Offices are required to allocate the candidates to the user departments as per their
requirement in accordance with objective and transparent criteria and after thorough scrutiny of their eligibility. Policy decisions taken by the Hqrs. are required to be implemented by the Regional Offices in letter and spirit

Operational problems and other related issues, if any, are referred to Hqrs. by the Regional / Sub- Regional Offices. Prompt, smooth and continuous communication between Regional / Sub-Regional Offices and Headquarters has been ensured to facilitate timely resolution of the problems and issues.

Details regarding setting up of Regional offices, their location / address and jurisdiction are available in Appendix C, and C-I.

Upgradation of Sub-Regional offices at Chandigarh (NWR) and Raipur (MPR) is under contemplation of the Commission. A proposal received from Ministry of Home Affairs for opening a Sub-Regional Office at Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir is under consideration of the Government.

Expenditure Incurred and Fee Charged From Candidates

The Commission has its Budget allocation under Major Head “2051” "Public Service Commission; Minor Head 00.103 - Staff Selection Commission". The expenditure in the setting up of any Regional/Sub Regional Offices of the Commission and working of the Commission is met entirely by the Government of India. The Commission is, however, entitled to collect examination fee for the various examinations / selections conducted by it. Candidates belonging to SC, ST, PH, EXS and all women candidates are exempted from payment of the fee. The Commission, in consultation with the Government of India, determines the feestructure. The mode of collection of fee is through Central Recruitment Fee Stamps (CRFS). These stamps are available at all Post Offices of the country. Candidates are required to affix these stamps in the space earmarked for the purpose in the Application Form.

The Commission introduced online applications in January, 2010 with provision for payment of the fee through challan in branches of State Bank of India or online payment through the SBI portal. In the case of off-line applicants, collection of fee continues through CRFS. The Commission's proposal to allow payment through credit cards/debit cards in the case of online applications, without any financial loss to the exchequer, is pending with the Controller General of Accounts and Department of Expenditure for the past 30 months. Online applications, which are currently in the range of 60-70% of total applications, are cost-effective for the Commission and also the candidates besides reducing the time required for application processing.

The statement of income and expenditure of the Commission since its inception is presented at and Appendices-F F-I.

The Year 2011-12 in Retrospect

1. While the year 2009-10 saw implementation of a number of far reaching steps towards examination reforms and the year 2010-11 saw considerably large number of candidates applying for the examinations and selected through All India Open Examinations and Selection method, the year 2011-12 saw the Commission scaling new heights. 2011-12 was an year of outstanding performance which may be hard to surpass. In all 84473 candidates were selected which was a record. The total number of applications received during the year was 89.32 lakhs. This phenomenal achievement proved that there is no limit to human endurance and efficiency if led by result oriented, committed, efficient and farsighted leadership taking the organization from brink of closure to celestial heights.

2. Due to excellent performance of the Commission during 2009-11 and the trust applicants have in the Commission, a number of organizations like FCI, approached the Commission to undertake their recruitment so that vacancies in their organizations could be filled up quickly with objectivity. With the consent of the government, the Commission has been successfully undertaking recruitments for such organisations. It is worth mentioning here that the number of applicants for such examinations was many times higher than the number of applicants when these organisations conducted examinations on their own. Despite handling volume of work which has been a record, the entire examination process was completed during the year as per the targets in Result Framework Document (RFD).

3. As in the last year, this year too the Commission saved data processing time,efforts and costs considerably by encouraging submission of online applications by the candidates for its various examinations. It was also decided to issue admission certificates online and accept only online applications and a proposal in this regard has been sent to Department of Personnel. The matter is under discussion with the Government. During the year, the Commission received 68.26 lakh on line applications. 100% online application has been successfully tried and tested in an all-India Examination.

4. Ministry of Home Affairs once again approached the Commission for conducting recruitment for Constable (GD) in para-military forces and Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles during 2012. This shows that the Commission was able to secure the confidence of the government not only in the areas mandated to it but beyond that. There has been overwhelming response from candidates to the recruitment as a result of wide publicity given to the recruitment through print and electronic media, as well as in 8 press conferences held by Chairman of the Commission. About 35.5 lakh candidates applied for the examination. Physical Efficiency Test (PET) and medical examinations of candidates were efficiently conducted in association with Central Armed Police Forces.

5. Despite the fact that about 86.78 lakh candidates responded to the notifications of open examinations published by the Commission during the year, number of applications filed under RTI Act, 2005 was miniscule as the Commission took proactive steps to make its work totally transparent and the grievance the redressal machinery responsive. One of the major steps initiated by theCommission in the year was to place the Answer Keys of all the examinations and also the scanned copy of OMR Sheets of the candidates on the Commission's website so that the candidates may compare answers recorded by them in the OMR Sheet against the answer keys of the Question Papers so as to remove doubts, if any. To make the examination process further transparent, the Commission decided to give opportunity to candidates to represent against the answer keys. Another major initiative was to place all the results and mark lists in PDF form on its website so that candidates can access all marks and results. The Commission's endeavor to place as much information as possible on the website
   of the Commission including the marks of candidates who failed to qualify in the examination, has been greatly appreciated by the candidates and media.

6. The Commission has been very sensitive to the difficulties of the candidates whose medium of education was their mother tongue or the local language.Though the Commission was already providing Question Papers in bi-lingual form i.e. Hindi and English, it was felt that a large number of candidates who applied for the post like Constable (GD), etc. failed to qualify in written examination as they were not well acquainted with Hindi or English but were wellversed in their mother tongue or State or local language. The Commission, therefore, decided to provide tri-lingual Question Papers, which include Hindi, English and one regional language of region / State, in consultation with MHA. This provided level-playing field to candidates and also contributed towards national integration as well as social empowerment. The commission has proposed tri-lingual papers in all its examinations. Facility of being interviewd in regional offices has been provided, subject to certain conditions, since 1st April 2012.

7. With the advancement of technology, the chance of misuse of latest technology to vitiate the examination process has also increased. A few unscrupulous candidates may attempt to violate sanctity of the process of the examination. As a deterrent step, the Commission decided that if a candidate was found keeping mobile phone or any such gadget of communication in the examination room, it would be considered as use of unfair means in the examination. In such cases,besides cancelling the candidature of such candidate for that particular examination and debarring him from its examinations for a period of upto five years, the Commission decided to take further action, if necessary. For this purpose, the Commission continued to deploy flying squads from the Commission's HQs to select examination centres. The Commission also conduct post-examination analysis with the help of an expert organization with a view to detecting instances of malpractices. Prevention of efforts to manipulate the examination process will continue to be a priority work in the Commission in the coming years.

8. The Commission's website continues to remain popular not only with the prospective candidates but also with various educational institutions, training centres and researchers. Efforts are made continuously to make it more and more informative.

9. The decision of Commission to use http://www.twitter.com as a form of interaction with candidates drastically reduced the number of candidates filing applications under RTI Act, 2005 for getting information. The Commission also received feedback from candidates through letters and emails and took action wherever necessary. Helplines in Regional Offices, 18 telephone lines in total, set up in February 2011, proved to be popular and effective and along with the websites, continue to be the major provider of information to candidates.

10. The Commission had been considering opening of examination centre in Churachandpur in Manipur and decided to open the Centre, in consultation with MHA, for the benefit of candidates belonging to that area and adjacent areas who had to go to Imphal for taking examinations till now.

11. 8678125 applications were received during 2011-12 for the 10 All India Open Examinations notified during the year.

Go Back To Main Page

Courtesy : Staff Selection Commission