New Delhi: The label of UPSC-negative for those who managed to reach the interview stage is set to change dramatically. What was earlier heartbreak and gloom will now become a parallel career track under the new, improved, and expanded form of the UPSC’s Pratibha Setu scheme.
Thirty-three-year-old Amar Sangwan spent eight long years chasing his dream: becoming an IAS officer. In this long journey, he cleared the UPSC Mains exam twice, appeared for the interview, but returned heartbreakingly after not getting recommended to the final list. And after exhausting all six attempts in 2023, he was back to zero. Now, he runs a small cyber cafe in his hometown, in Jhajjar, Haryana. He has nothing to show for nearly a decade of relentless study.
But the new initiative by the UPSC is giving thousands like him a second life.
The UPSC has announced the PRATIBHA (Professional Resource And Talent Integration – Bridge for Hiring Aspirants) Setu portal to connect non-recommended UPSC candidates with job opportunities in the ministries, PSUs, and private companies. It offers hope and dignity to those who missed the final list by a whisker. The portal’s message to such candidates is that ‘this is not the end’. The government will create new opportunities. Not everybody can become an IAS, IFS, IRS, or IPS officer. But their talent, study, skills won’t go to waste either. As of 26 June, 107 organisations—including government departments, public sector units, and corporates—have registered on the portal. And the number of non-recommended candidates who have registered is around 11,000.
“I was heartbroken and in depression for six months. I invested so much and gave prime years of youth to that exam, but you can’t hold everything for long. I heard about this Pratibha Setu portal, which made me feel good. With this, the non-recommended candidate can live with dignity,” said Sangwan.
Pratibha Setu isn’t just a lifeline for UPSC candidates. It also offers ministries, PSUs, and private companies a database of talented individuals.
“Every year, many bright candidates clear the toughest stages of the UPSC examination but narrowly miss the final merit list. Pratibha Setu offers a structured way to bring their talent into the service of the nation through other credible avenues… It is a shared step forward in ensuring that talent finds its rightful place,” Ajay Kumar, Chairman, UPSC, told ThePrint.
A nation-building pathway
Only candidates who choose the option while filling out the exam form will appear in the Pratibha Setu database. The process has become smoother and easier now for the students and even for the companies, ThePrint has learned.
The companies have to just enter their Corporate Identification Number (CIN) and enrol with the portal, and they will get a list of candidates with in-depth knowledge of multiple subjects.
Those who cleared the Mains and appeared for the interview come under this category. The scheme has been available since 2018, but a large number of candidates weren’t aware of it. In 2024, a total of 14,627 candidates appeared for the Mains exam, but only 2,845 qualified for the interview. Out of these, 1,009 were selected, while 1,836 candidates remained non-recommended.
The UPSC doesn’t use the word “failure” for these candidates; they’re called non-recommended candidates instead.
Nitish Garg, DSP in Etah district, UP Police, appeared for the 2019 UPSC CSE interview but couldn’t clear it. That’s when he got to know about the scheme. But what he had heard was that the Sports Authority of India, under the Union sports ministry, would recruit such candidates.
“I am not sure if it was that big back then. SAI has been hiring such candidates since 2013, but now there are multiple options, and many ministries and companies have come forward to recruit the non-recommended candidates. It will help the talented youth in nation-building,” said Garg, who has become a DSP after clearing UP PCS in 2021.
The UPSC, too, acknowledges this untapped potential and is positioning Pratibha Setu as a formal pathway to channel it into nation-building efforts.
Former civil servants and current hiring experts see it as a long-overdue step in recognising the calibre of non-recommended candidates. It will be beneficial for the private sector as well.
“This is a welcome move for identifying and tapping into a pool of talented individuals. Anyone who has cleared the UPSC Mains is undoubtedly intelligent and capable,” said Sanjeev Chopra, former Director of LBSNAA (Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration) and retired IAS officer.
He added that the difference between selected and non-recommended candidates often comes down to mere decimals.
“For the private sector, this database can be immensely valuable. I’ve been on several selection boards for companies, and many candidates highlight in their CVs that they reached the interview stage or cleared the Mains—it leaves a strong impression. It signals sharpness, discipline, and potential,” he said.
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A turning point
Twenty-eight-year-old Swetank Satyarthi gave the interview for UPSC but couldn’t make it to the final list. He had opted for the Pratibha Setu database option, but didn’t know much about the job options and companies that would be recruiting the candidates. After six attempts, two Mains, and one interview, however, he decided it was time that he got a job.
“If you don’t get selected after the interview, you become zero. Through this scheme, at least we will have an option of not becoming that. There are other options for UPSC aspirants, such as state PSC exams and joining coaching institutes. But there are uncertainties too, the state commission process isn’t as smooth as UPSC, and there won’t be much satisfaction in coaching,” Satyarthi said, an aspirant from Uttar Pradesh who lives in Delhi.
For him, it could be a turning point in his UPSC journey.
“It’s been a long journey, I am still not giving up on my UPSC dream, but I would like to take a job from a ministry or a good company. I also do not know much about the scheme,” Satyarthi said.
The UPSC has long faced criticism for consuming the most productive years of young aspirants, with many experts arguing that the system drains talent without offering alternatives. Former civil servants such as TSR Subramanian and former IAS officer Anil Swarup have advocated in the past for reducing the number of attempts and lowering the age limit.
The fact that nearly 90 per cent of those selected are repeaters has also raised concerns about fairness and accessibility in the examination. Amid ongoing policy debates over its low final selection rate, initiatives like the PRATIBHA Setu portal offer a parallel path.
“It’s an excellent move by the UPSC. It may help them in the attempts that candidates keep going for. If credible job options are made available, more youth will be willing to consider them rather than clinging only to the civil services dream,” Swarup said.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)