Parliamentary Panel asks UPSC to Reduce Selection Cycle [Current Affairs]

A Parliamentary panel has asked UPSC to look into certain specific concerns related to the civil service recruitment process and exam. It was the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, which has asked the UPSC to look into specific concerns related to the whole recruitment process conducted by it.

Panel on UPSC Selection Cycle: Recommendations

The parliamentary panel made the following observations and recommendations:

• UPSC to reduce the civil services examinations’ life cycle significantly, without compromising on the quality.
  • Any recruitment cycle should not exceed 6 months, but as per the data provided by the UPSC, the average time taken from the date of issuing notification till the release of the final result is around 15 months.
  • This long recruitment process wastes candidates’ prime years.
  • It also has a negative impact on the candidates’ physical and mental health.
• UPSC is asked to look into the reasons behind the low turnout in the examinations.
  • Out of about 11.35 lakh applicants, only 50.51% of candidates (5.71 lakhs) appeared in the civil services examination conducted by UPSC in 2022-23.
• UPSC to furnish the details of the examination fee collected from the candidates in the last 5 years.
• UPSC to furnish the details of the expenditure incurred in conducting the examination in the last 5 years.
• The committee recommends UPSC release the answer key immediately after the preliminary examination.
  • The practice of releasing the answer key of the preliminary examination, only after the completion of the whole process, deprives candidates of an opportunity to contest the answer key before progressing to the next stage of the examination.
  • This practice both demoralizes the candidates and compromises the fairness and validity of the examination process.
  • However foolproof the exercise is carried out, the possibility of errors can’t be neglected.
• UPSC could also take feedback from aspirants to incorporate necessary improvements in the examination process and this will ensure more transparency, fairness and candidate friendliness.
• UPSC to appoint an expert committee:
  • to look into the impact of changes in the examination pattern on aspirants, quality of recruitment and administration in the last 10 years.
  • to evaluate whether the current civil services recruitment process offers an equitable chance to both candidates from urban areas with an English-medium education and those from rural areas without an English-medium education.
  • to assess if the existing pattern of examination (both prelims and mains) provides a level playing field for all candidates from different academic backgrounds.

Parliamentary Panel asks UPSC to Reduce Selection Cycle- Download PDF Here