Public Administration: Organisation, Finance and Accountability for PSEB Senior Secondary
What the domain tests
Public Administration in the PSEB Senior Secondary paper examines how government is organised and run: the meaning and scope of the subject, the difference between public and private administration, principles of organisation, personnel and financial administration, and the Indian and Punjab institutional framework. Questions are usually definitional plus applied: define a principle, then show it operating in a department, board or district office.
Core rules and concepts
- Public administration is the implementation of government policy and the day-to-day running of public services. It is both an art and a science; its distinctive feature is public accountability, not simply the absence of profit.
- Organisation principles include hierarchy, span of control, unity of command, line and staff, delegation, and centralisation versus decentralisation. Line agencies command; staff agencies advise and service.
- Personnel administration covers recruitment, training, promotion and discipline. For Punjab state services, recruitment is by the Punjab Public Service Commission under Article 315.
- Financial administration includes budget preparation, expenditure control and audit. The Union budget is Article 112; a state budget, including Punjab's, is Article 202; audit is under the Comptroller and Auditor General.
- Accountability tools include the RTI Act 2005, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013, and Punjab's Right to Service Act 2011.
Worked example
Question: 'Is public administration different from private administration?' Reasoning: state the criterion, not just a list. Public administration is tax-funded and answerable to the legislature, courts and citizens; private administration is market-funded and answerable to owners. Then note overlap: both plan, organise, staff and control, and private firms increasingly adopt public-style audit and transparency. Conclude that the difference is one of degree and accountability, not total separation. This produces a balanced answer instead of a one-line 'yes'.
Traps
Do not say public administration means only 'government departments'; boards, corporations and field agencies count. Do not confuse the CAG, which audits, with the Finance Department, which prepares the budget. Do not attribute Panchayati Raj to the original Constitution: Part IX was inserted by the 73rd Amendment, 1992. Do not treat the Lokpal as a state body; states have Lokayuktas. Do not write that the PPSC recruits for all-India services; it recruits for Punjab state services.