Ceylon Civil Service
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The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, originated as the elite civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule and on after independence, until the 1970s when it was abolished and the much larger Sri Lankan Administrative Service was created which is now the key administrative service of the Government.
At the early days the CCS was staffed by members of the British Civil Service and later Ceylonies were admitted. Only six to eight (or in some years only one) out of a very large number of applicants were selected by open competitive examination from graduates with first class honors, between the ages of 22 and 24. This ensured that the top non-elected government positions were held by the best available candidates. This was very important since the appointments were permanent. The officers of the CCS therefore commanded a high level of respect, a situation which has continued into the early 21st century.
When the CCS was abolished its officers were taken in to the Sri Lankan Administrative Service, the successor to the Ceylon Civil Service.
