India’s Right to Information Act was barely a year old when a new Commission was asked to review it. That review became just one of fifteen reports reshaping how the country is governed.
MCQ QuestionsSecond ARC
Fifteen Reports, One Reviewed a Brand-New Law
1
31 Aug 2005
ARC-II constituted
A Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Veerappa Moily.
R1
2006
Report 1: Right to Information
“Master Key to Good Governance” — reviews the RTI Act within a year of its passage.
R4
2007
Report 4: Ethics in Governance
A widely-cited report on public integrity, still referenced today.
15
May 2009
Final report submitted
15 reports total, covering everything from crisis management to e-governance.
Still standing: no Third ARC has been constituted since 2009 — India’s administrative-reform architecture has run on these 15 reports for over 16 years.
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🗓️ Timeline
1966: The First ARC
- Morarji Desai The First ARC is constituted on 5 January, chaired initially by Morarji Desai.
1970: First ARC Finishes
- 20 Reports The First ARC finishes its work, having submitted 20 reports and 537 recommendations.
2005: ARC-II Constituted
- Veerappa Moily The Second ARC (ARC-II) is constituted on 31 August, chaired by Veerappa Moily.
2006: First Report
- RTI ARC-II submits its first report, on the Right to Information.
2006-2009: Remaining Reports
- 14 More ARC-II submits the remaining 14 reports, on subjects from ethics to e-governance.
2009: Final Report
- 15th Report ARC-II submits its 15th and final report, in May.
✅ Must Know
What ARC-II Was
- 31 August 2005 The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC-II) was constituted on 31 August 2005, as a Commission of Inquiry.
Who Served on It
- Moily and Members It was chaired by Veerappa Moily, with V. Ramachandran, A.P. Mukherjee, A.H. Kalro, and Jayaprakash Narayan as members, and Vineeta Rai as Member Secretary.
Its Mandate
- Proactive, Responsive, Accountable Its mandate was to design a proactive, responsive, accountable, and efficient public administration.
Fifteen Reports
- 2006-2009 ARC-II submitted 15 reports in total, between 2006 and 2009.
Report 1: Right to Information
- Master Key to Good Governance Report 1 was on the Right to Information, titled “Master Key to Good Governance.”
Report 4: Ethics in Governance
- Public Integrity Report 4 was on Ethics in Governance, a widely-cited report on public integrity.
The Department of Personnel’s Founding
- UPSC 2021 The Department of Personnel was constituted in 1970, on the recommendation of the First Administrative Reforms Commission, 1966 — and placed under the Prime Minister’s charge. This is a distinct, earlier reform strand from ARC-II. The N. Gopalaswamy Iyengar Committee’s own recommendation was different: it proposed a minister and secretary designated for administrative reform generally, not the Department of Personnel specifically. Asked as: “Consider statements about the N. Gopalaswamy Iyengar Committee and the Department of Personnel.” (UPSC CSP 2021, GS Paper I).
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Other Notable Reports
- Crisis, Terrorism, e-Governance Other notable reports include Report 3 (Crisis Management), Report 8 (Combating Terrorism), Report 11 (Promoting e-Governance), Report 12 (Citizen-Centric Administration), and Report 14 (Financial Management).
Building on the First ARC
- 1966-1970 ARC-II built on the First ARC (1966-1970), which was initially chaired by Morarji Desai and later by K. Hanumanthaiah.
The First ARC’s Output
- 20 Reports, 537 Recommendations The First ARC submitted 20 reports and 537 recommendations on India’s administrative machinery.
See Also
- Related Reforms For a related civil-service reform idea, see Polity0103 — Lateral Entry in the Civil Services. For the law ARC-II’s first report reviewed, see Polity0157 — The Right to Information Act, 2005.
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🏆 Great to Know
Reviewing a Brand-New Law
- RTI Act ARC-II’s first report reviewed the RTI Act when the law itself was barely a year old. This is unusual: a Commission reviewing a law just enacted, rather than proposing something new.
Uneven Implementation
- Fast vs. Slow Not every report landed the same way. RTI strengthening and e-governance recommendations shaped policy fairly quickly. Others, like parts of the Ethics in Governance report, remain only partly implemented, even in 2026.
No Third ARC Since 2009
- 16+ Years No Third ARC has been constituted since ARC-II finished in 2009. India’s administrative-reform architecture has run on its 15 reports for over 16 years.
Implementation Is the Real Test
- A Telling Gap That gap itself is telling. A Commission’s value depends on what governments do with its reports afterward, not just on writing them.
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UPSC CSP 2015 — General Studies Paper I (Full Question Paper)❓ Practice this topic
Which of the following Acts, receiving presidential assent on 24 December 2023, replaced the Indian Telegraph Act 1885, the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933 and the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act 1950?Under Article 61 of the Constitution, by what majority must the resolution preferring the charge of impeachment against the President be passed in each House of Parliament?Which Article of the Constitution provides that it shall be the endeavour of every State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage to children belonging to linguistic minority groups?In which situation can a State Governor issue an ordinance under Article 213 of the Constitution?🎲 Take a Indian Polity And Constitution Quiz
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