BharatNotes What is Second ARC Recommendations?
The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (Second ARC) was constituted by the Government of India on 31 August 2005 to prepare a detailed blueprint for revamping the public administration system. It was chaired by M. Veerappa Moily (who resigned in 2009 and was succeeded as chairman by V. Ramachandran). The commission submitted 15 reports between June 2006 and May 2009, collectively known as the "Second ARC Recommendations". These reports are issued under the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel.
The 15 Reports
| No. | Report Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Right to Information — Master Key to Good Governance |
| 2 | Unlocking Human Capital — Entitlements and Governance |
| 3 | Crisis Management — From Despair to Hope |
| 4 | Ethics in Governance |
| 5 | Public Order |
| 6 | Local Governance |
| 7 | Capacity Building for Conflict Resolution |
| 8 | Combating Terrorism |
| 9 | Social Capital — A Shared Destiny |
| 10 | Refurbishing of Personnel Administration |
| 11 | Promoting e-Governance — The SMART Way Forward |
| 12 | Citizen Centric Administration — The Heart of Governance |
| 13 | Organisational Structure of Government of India |
| 14 | Strengthening Financial Management Systems |
| 15 | State and District Administration |
(Titles and sequence as listed by DARPG; reports submitted June 2006–May 2009.)
Key Recommendations
- Right to Information: full implementation of the RTI Act, proactive (suo motu) disclosure, and easier access to government records as the "master key" to good governance.
- Ethics in Governance: establishment of the institutions of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in States, a code of ethics for ministers and legislators, protection for whistle-blowers, and electoral and political-funding reforms.
- Civil-services reform: competitive, merit-based postings, fixed minimum tenures, performance appraisal reform and lateral entry of specialists into the bureaucracy.
- Citizen-centric administration: robust Citizens' Charters, the Sevottam service-quality framework, and effective grievance-redress mechanisms.
- e-Governance: the SMART (Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, Transparent) approach to delivering services digitally.
- Local governance & decentralisation: genuine devolution of funds, functions and functionaries to Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies.
Significance and Current Status
The Second ARC remains India's most influential modern governance reference. Several recommendations have shaped later law and policy — for example, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014, the spread of Citizens' Charters and the Sevottam model, and the broad thrust of the Digital India / e-governance agenda. However, an Action Taken Report (ATR) process showed that many recommendations were only partially accepted or remain unimplemented, especially those on deeper civil-services and political-funding reform. As of June 2026, the reports continue to function as a standing benchmark against which governance reform proposals are evaluated.
UPSC Angle
For GS2, treat the Second ARC as a ready toolkit of reform proposals to cite in answers on transparency, accountability and service delivery; for GS4, its "Ethics in Governance" report supports answers on codes of conduct and integrity. Memorise the chairman (Veerappa Moily), year of constitution (2005), and the flagship report titles — these are the most exam-relevant facts. Foundational concept — underpins questions on the governance and ethics topic family.
