Specific government commissions
Specific government commissions — Sarkaria, Punchhi, ARC I & II, Kothari
12 min read · Updated 2026-05-25
What are India's major reform commissions?
India's major reform commissions are five: ARC I (1966-70) under Morarji Desai with 20 reports, the Sarkaria Commission (1983-88) on Centre-State relations with 247 recommendations, the NCRWC (2000-02) under Justice Venkatachaliah with 249, ARC II (2005-09) under Veerappa Moily with 15 reports, and the Punchhi Commission (2007-10) with 273 recommendations.
The story
It is 29 January 1988, North Block, Delhi. Justice R.S. Sarkaria delivers a heavy hand-bound report to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. 247 recommendations. Five years of work. 20+ subject areas covered. The most comprehensive single document on Centre-State relations India had ever produced. Within months, the recommendations begin shaping how every Governor controversy, every President's Rule debate, every federal coordination question is argued in the Supreme Court. Three of the Bommai (1994) bench judges quote Sarkaria by name. The Punchhi Commission (2007) extends Sarkaria's work in 273 recommendations.
These reports — and ARC I, ARC II, Kothari Commission, NCRWC — are not statutes. They cannot be enforced by courts. They are advisory documents. Yet they have shaped India's governance more than most laws. The RTI Act 2005 was an ARC II recommendation. The Inter-State Council was a Sarkaria recommendation. The Civil Services Examination pattern (Prelims + Mains + Interview) is Kothari's framework. The Right to Education (Article 21A) was an NCRWC suggestion.
This unit is the intellectual map of post-independence Indian governance reform. Every reform answer in Mains GS-II will draw on at least one of these reports. Knowing them is not just exam preparation — it is the practical vocabulary of Indian public administration.
Why this matters for UPSC
These commissions appear in Prelims 1-2 times a year as factual questions (year, chair, subject). Mains GS-II uses them as evidence in every major answer on federalism, administrative reform, civil services, and Constitution review. Interview boards specifically test the implementation gap — why are most recommendations not implemented? This is also the natural lead-in to specific tools (RTI, Lokpal, social audit) covered in other units.