Centre forms expert committee to review civil services exam pattern

An expert committee has been formed by the government to examine various issues related to age relaxation, eligibility, syllabus and pattern of the civil services examination to select IAS and IPS officers.

“The committee will look into all aspects of civil services examination,” Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.

Based on the report of the committee, further changes in the civil services exam pattern would be considered with the primary objective of providing a level playing field to aspirants from diverse streams like mathematics, engineering, medicine and humanities, he said. Till such time as the recommendations of the committee were received and the government subsequently took a decision, the General Studies Paper-II (also known as CSAT) in the preliminary examination would remain a qualifying paper, with the minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33 per cent.

Path-breaking

Meanwhile, the government’s decision taken last year to exclude the English portion, accounting for 22 marks in the General Studies Paper-II, from tabulation continued to remain in force, he told PTI here.

The panel has been formed as a follow-up to a decision taken by the government in May this year, said Mr. Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

The panel would be headed by the former Chhattisgarh cadre IAS officer B.S. Baswan and consist of leading academicians, technocrats and senior bureaucrats, officials said.

Mr. Singh recalled that soon after the Narendra Modi government took over on May 26, 2014, it was confronted with the demands from across the country for revisiting the pattern and syllabus of the civil services examination.

It was being alleged that the present syllabus and pattern tended to benefit students from mathematics and engineering backgrounds, he said.

The decision to revise the civil services exam pattern was path-breaking and was aimed at achieving the basic objective of ensuring that the best and the most deserving got the opportunity to become a part of the administrative set up of rapidly developing 21st century India.

The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages — preliminary, main and interview. — PTI

Shri B.S. Baswan (IAS) Director, IIPA. Former Secretary, Sec & Hr Edu, MHRD

Currently Director, Indian Institute of Planning & Administration and Former Secretary, Department of Secondary and Higher Education, MHRD, Govt. of India. Educated in various prestigious institutions in Indian and Abroad - Eaton House Preparatory School, London. The Doon School, Dehradun St. Stephen's College, Delhi Elphinstone College, Bombay Victoria University, Manchester (UK) Banff School of Advanced Management, Canada and Fellow in the Victoria University, Manchester (UK) 1976-77 for a post graduate programme on Public Administration Training Methodology After training in the National Academy of Administration (Mussoorie) he served for Govt. of M.P. and Govt. of India under various capacities/positions. Assistant Collector (Under Trg.) Bilaspur (M.P.) - 1967 to 1969; Sub-Divisional Officer & Sub-Divisional Magistrate at Korba, Mungeli and Jashpur, Addl. Excise Commissioner (MP), Gwalior; Addl. Excise Commissioner (MP), Gwalior, Collector & District Magistrate, Rajgarh. Some of the key positions in the Govt.: Director, Lalbahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie; Commissioner, Higher Education, Govt. of M.P., Director, Institute of Secretariat Training and Management, Govt of India; Joint Secretary(Training), Ministry of Personnel, Govt. of India, DFID/World Bank Consultant for Forest Policy – 1999; Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, Govt of India; Chairman, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (Ministry of Chemicals and Petrochemicals), Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice& Empowerment, Govt of India; and finally he retired as Education Secretary, Government of India After post retirement he also served as Fellow, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators / Academic work, and  as Senior Consultant, Planning Commission, Govt. of India.