With reference to the Union Government, consider the following statements:

1. N. Gopalaswamy Iyengar Committee suggested that a minister and a secretary be designated solely for pursuing the subject of administrative reform and promoting it.

2. In 1970, the Department of Personnel was constituted on the recommendation of the Administrative Reforms Commission, 1966 and this was placed under the Prime Minister’s charge.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is 2 only.

Let us analyze both statements step-by-step:

Statement 1: Incorrect
In 1949, the N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar Committee submitted its report on the 'Reorganisation of the Machinery of Government'. It recommended the grouping of central ministries into four main categories and suggested structural modifications to streamline government processes. However, it was the 1st Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) set up in 1966—and prior to that, suggestions by experts like Paul H. Appleby—that emphasized administrative reforms as a continuous process, leading to the creation of dedicated machinery for administrative reforms. The specific suggestion regarding a dedicated minister/secretary structure for administrative reform was part of the recommendations of the First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966), not the N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar Committee.

Statement 2: Correct
The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) set up in 1966 recommended the creation of a separate Department of Personnel to handle public services management, cadre management, and personnel policy matters. Accepting this recommendation, the Department of Personnel was formally constituted in 1970 and placed directly under the charge of the Prime Minister's Secretariat (later becoming part of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions under the Prime Minister).

Therefore, Statement 1 is incorrect and Statement 2 is correct, making 2 only the correct answer.