President Murmu urges PSCs to prioritise integrity in recruitment

President Droupadi Murmu, addressing the national conference of Public Service Commission (PSC) chairpersons in Hyderabad, emphasised that integrity and honesty must be the foremost criteria in recruitment. She noted that while skills can be acquired, lack of ethical orientation poses grave challenges.

Hyderabad: President Droupadi Murmu asked the Public Service Commissions’ (PSCs) in the country to accord the highest priority to the aspect of honesty and integrity of the candidates they recruit.

Inaugurating the national conference of the Chairpersons of PSCs organised by the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) here on Friday, President Murmu said lack of skills and competencies could be dealt with through learning interventions and several other strategies.

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“But lack of integrity may cause grave challenges which may be impossible to overcome. The PSCs need to look for instruments and tools, which help understand ethical orientation of candidates,” she said.

Young people seeking employment as civil servants should have the inclination to work for the marginalised and vulnerable, she said, adding, “Our civil servants should be particularly sensitive to the needs and aspirations of women. Gender-sensitisation should be given high priority by PSCs”.

The President said the PSCs should not only be guided by the ideal of equality of opportunity but should try to achieve the goal of equality of outcomes.

“In other words, the Commissions are change-agents who promote equality and equity. I acknowledge their contribution in guiding this change,” she said.

She suggested that the PSCs anticipate the emerging challenges on the frontiers of technology, strengthening transparency and credibility, as well as developing globally comparable teams of civil servants.

Our Constitutional ideals of social, economic and political justice, and equality of status and of opportunity are most pertinent to the functioning of the Public Service Commissions. pic.twitter.com/OSQ4AG9mnd

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 19, 2025