Previous Year Question

The correct answer is the Consolidated Fund of the State.

Under Article 322 of the Constitution of India, the expenses of the Union or a State Public Service Commission, including the salaries, allowances and pensions payable to or in respect of its members and staff, are charged respectively on the Consolidated Fund of India or the Consolidated Fund of the concerned State. Therefore, the expenses of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission are charged on the Consolidated Fund of Uttar Pradesh.

The expression “charged expenditure” is important here. Expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of a State is not submitted to the Legislative Assembly for voting, though it may be discussed. Article 203(1) expressly provides for this arrangement. This helps protect the financial independence of constitutional institutions such as the Public Service Commission.

The direct distinction is useful to remember—

UPSC → Consolidated Fund of India
State PSC/UPPSC → Consolidated Fund of the concerned State

Hence, the Consolidated Fund of India would be applicable to the UPSC, not the UPPSC. Similarly, fees received by the Commission do not constitute a separate constitutional fund for meeting its regular expenses, while the Contingency Fund is meant for unforeseen expenditure rather than the regular constitutional expenditure of the Commission.