The Report of Baswan Committee is under the consideration of the UPSC

Compensation to Civil Service Aspirants

The report of Baswan Committee

Shri T. Rathinavel MP has raised following question in Rajya Sabha regarding Compensation to civil service aspirants

In the reply to his questions, the following answers are provided on 09.3.2017 by DR. JITENDRA SINGH, Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office

Question: whether it is a fact that civil service aspirants have demanded compensation in the form of additional attempts; whether it is also a fact that they had lost the chance for additional attempts due to a discriminatory civil service aptitude test paper during the preliminary examination;

Answer : Certain changes were introduced in the preliminary part with effect from Civil Services Examination-2011. Several representations have been received from the Civil Services aspirants demanding additional attempts in Civil Services Examination due to change in the pattern from CSE-2011.

The Government had taken a policy decision of providing additional attempt in Civil Services Examination 2015 to those candidates who appeared in Civil Services Examination 2011 and General Studies (paper-II) of preliminary examination was made qualifying with effect from CSE-2015. Further the Government decided to allow two additional attempts to all category of candidates with effect from Civil Services Examination (CSE)-2014, with consequential relaxation of maximum age, if required.

Question: whether the civil service aspirants have demanded that there should be a level playing field for all aspirants across the country, irrespective of their background; and if so, the steps taken by Government in this regard?

Answer : The Government always strives to ensure a level playing field for all the aspirants. Further UPSC has constituted an Expert Committee under chairmanship of Shri B.S. Baswan to comprehensively examine the various issues, raised from time to time regarding the Civil Services Examination, with respect to the eligibility, syllabus, scheme and pattern of the Examination vide notice dated 12.08.2015. The report of Baswan Committee is currently under the consideration of the UPSC and the recommendations of the UPSC on the report are yet to be received.

Source : Rajya Sabha