Public Administration in Ancient India c13.35

c13.35

Some care, it seems, was taken in selecting officers of government. They were usually appointed in view of their general qualifications as well as their fitness for the particular kinds of work they were expected to perform. The Agni Purāṇa says: “ Virtuous men should be employed in work which requires a high degree of moral culture, while men of valour should be appointed in the army. Intelligent men should be employed where the revenue of the State is concerned, while for all kinds of work the King should select men who are above corruption.”² Officers were at first appointed on probation, and after they had gone through a period of apprenticeship, they were made permanent.³ Once in the service, they rose step by step as they showed competency in their work, until the ablest and most devoted among them reached the highest rungs of the ladder.⁴ This system of a trained bureaucracy for the details of administrative work must have contributed largely to the efficiency of the central government.