The Indian Administrative Year Book may broadly be divided into two parts. The first part is historical and evolutionary. The second part is closely focused on the year 1990 and gives an account of administrative happenings in the calendar year. The work begins with an historical account of the development of the administrative system of India since the earlier days of the East India Company till the end of 1969. Chapter 2 traces the growth of the civil services from the days of the Writers uptil the year preceding 1990. The first two chapters are brief, succinctly written and are to the point capturing what are considered to be the significant landmarks in the administrative and civil service developments in India. Nearly an equal amount of space has been devoted to the period under Raj and that since Independence. Chapter 3 is the Survey which is in the form of a over-view of 1990 recapitulating its major events. The events highlighted are principally administrative but also features current political realities: topics like the coalition government and the minority government are covered in the volume interlocked as these are with administration. This chapter is deeply analytical and evaluational and is cast in futuristic perspective. The chapter that follows is in the format and nature of an Administrative Diary. Care is taken to tap as large a field as feasible. Leading administrative events are discussed one by one. In Chapter 5 each event is discussed competently and analytically, Chapter 6 gives the summaries of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India''s reports submitted in the year 1990. This is followed by a chapter devoted to judicial and administrative tribunal decisions on issues directly bearing on administration. It emerges from the above that The Indian Administrative Year Book is a pioneering work and an invaluable contribution to Public Administration. Authored by a distinguished scholar and today, a familiar name in the discipline the work cannot be missed by a serious student of the subject. It is an indispensable handbook for policy-makers and planners no less for the general readers interested in the joys and responsibilities of a meaningful civic life. It should be an indispensable text equally for the students and teachers of Public Administration and Political Science and for those preparing for the country''s civil service competitive examinations.
