Modified On Mar 28, 2023 08:35 PM by Nivesh, Views: 431
A recent report by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice has called for a reduction in the recruitment cycle for the civil services examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The report highlights the toll that the lengthy process takes on candidates' physical and mental health, as well as the waste of prime years of their lives. The committee recommends that the duration of the recruitment cycle should not exceed six months.
The report also addresses the issue of low turnout for the civil services examination. In 2022-23, only 51.95% of the approximately 32.39 lakh candidates who applied for the exam actually appeared for it. The committee has recommended that the UPSC examine the reasons for the low turnout and share its findings with the committee. The report also recommends that the UPSC furnish details of the examination fees collected from candidates over the last five years, as well as the expenditure incurred by the commission on the conduct of the examinations during the same period.
The committee has further recommended the formation of an expert committee to assess whether the current recruitment scheme through the civil services examination provides equal opportunities to both English-medium-educated urban candidates and non-English medium-educated rural candidates. The report notes that while the UPSC has made changes to the examination pattern based on recommendations from various expert committees, there has been no study to assess the impact of these changes on aspirants and the administration at large.
In summary, the report calls for a reduction in the recruitment cycle for the civil services examination, an examination of the reasons for low turnout, disclosure of examination fee collection and expenditure details, and an assessment of the recruitment scheme's fairness to different candidate groups.
