UPSC Civil Services Exam

Topic: List of Committees & Commissions in India for UPSC

Some commissions are permanent while others are temporary. The latter kind are constituted for a single
purpose only and are discontinued once their purpose is fulfilled and their report is submitted to the
government. The questions from these topics are frequently asked in both UPSC Prelims and Mains
papers (GS-II.)

The list of important Permanent Commissions is given in the table below:

Year of
List of Commissions Purpose of Commissions
Establishment
Central Information
To receive and inquire into complaints from aggrieved persons 2005
Commission (CIC)
To address and probe offences by Central Government officers,
Central Vigilance
officers of societies, corporation and local authority under the 1964
Commission (CVC)
Central Government
Atomic Energy
To look after atomic energy activities in India 1958
Commission of India
Commission for
To give meaningful real income levels to farmers, and to help
Agricultural Costs and 1965
farmers adopt new technology for increased productivity
Prices (CACP)
To consider inclusions in and exclusions from the lists of
National Commission for
communities notified as backward for the purpose of job
Backward Classes 1993
reservations and tenders needful advice to the Central Government
(NCBC)
on such matters
National Commission on
To recommend ways to improve cattle condition in India 2002
Cattle
National Commission for
To protect and promote the interests of women in India 1992
Women (NCW)
Competition Commission
To enforce 'The Competition Act, 2002' all over India 2003
of India (CCI)
Telecom Commission To deal with various aspects of telecommunications 1989
National Statistical To reduce the problems faced by statistical agencies with regard to
2005
Commission (NCS) the collection of data
Election Commission
To administer the election process all over India 1950
(ECI)
Law Commission To reform the law for promoting justice in society 1834
Chief Labour
To enforce labour laws and other labour-related issues 1945
Commissioner
Finance Commission
To define the financial relations between the centre and the states 1951
(FCI)
National Human Rights
To protect and promote human rights 1993
Commission (NHRC)
University Grants To provide recognition to universities in India, disburse funds and
1956
Commission (UGC) maintain standards in university education
National Commission for
To protect and develop the condition of STs in India 2004
Scheduled Tribes (NCST)
National Commission for
Enterprises in the To address the issues faced by enterprises in the unorganised sector 2004
Unorganized Sector
National Forest
To review and assess the existing forest policy 2003
Commission
Electronics Commission To deal with the various aspects of the electronics industry 1971
Central Water To manage schemes for control, conservation and utilisation of
1945
Commission (CWC) water resources throughout the country
Commission for To formulate and implement policies and programmes for the
Additional Sources of development of new and renewable energy, and also conduct R&D 1981
Energy in this area
National Flood
To evolve a coordinated, integrated and scientific approach to the
Commission (Rashtriya 1976
flood control problems in the country
Barh Ayog)
To maintain liaison in order to ensure the most effective joint effort
Indo-Bangladesh Joint
in maximizing the benefits from common river systems between 1972
Rivers Commission (JRC)
India and Bangladesh
Khadi and Village
To plan, promote, organise, facilitate and assist in the establishment
Industries Commission 1957
and development of khadi and village industries in rural areas
(KVIC)
Staff Selection To recruit staff for various posts in the Ministries and Departments
1976
Commission (SSC) of the Union Government
Administrative Reforms To give recommendations regarding the public administration
1966
Commission (ARC) system of India
 Conduct examinations for appointment to the services of
the Union
Union Public Service  Direct recruitment by selection through interviews.
1926
Commission (UPSC)  Appointment of officers on promotion/deputation/
absorption and more

The list of important Ad-Hoc Commissions is given in the table below:

Year of
List of Commissions Purpose of Commissions
Establishment
To recommend the reorganization of state
States Reorganisation Commission 1955
boundaries
Kothari Commission For educational reforms 1964
 To inquire into Mahatma Gandhi’s
Kapur Commission 1966
assassination
To re-investigate the death of Subhas
Khosla Commission 1970
Chandra Bose
To consider seat reservations and quotas for
Mandal Commission 1980
people to redress caste discrimination
Sarkaria Commission To examine centre-state relations 1983
To re-investigate the death of Subhas
Mukherjee Commission 1959
Chandra Bose
Nanavati Commission To inquire into the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 2000
To examine the representation of Backward
Narendran Commission 2000
Classes in the State public services
National Commission to Review the Working
To suggest changes in electoral laws 2000
of the Constitution
To inquire into the Godhra incident and the
Nanavati-Shah Commission 2002
communal riots that ensued in 2002
Commission for Religious and Linguistic To look into the issues of linguistic and
2004
Minorities (Ranganath Misra Commission) religious minorities in India
To inquire into the Godhra incident and the
U.C. Banerjee Commission 2002
communal riots that ensued in 2002
To investigate the cause of the 1992 Bombay
Srikrishna Commission 2002
riots
Thakkar Commission To probe the assassination of Indira Gandhi 1984
To inquire into corruption allegations in the
Phukan Commission 2003
wake of the Tehelka tapes controversy
To probe the alleged rape and murder of
Upendra Commission 2004
Thangjam Manorama Devi
M.M. Punchhi Commission To examine centre-state relations 2007
To probe the excesses committed during the
Shah Commission 1977
emergency (1975-77)
To promote and uplift the society’s deprived
Kalelkar Commission 1953
sections
Liberhan Commission To probe the Babri Masjid demolition 1992