New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has for the first time introduced the facility of withdrawing applications by candidates who do not wish to appear for the Civil Services exam, which is scheduled to be held in May.
The move, according to sources in the commission, has been taken in a bid to ease pressure on the UPSC’s resources.
“While over 10 lakh people apply for the exam each year, less than 5 lakh actually appear for it…But the commission has to prepare for all the 10 lakh candidates,” an official told ThePrint.
While the move is “a welcome one”, it might not prove to be “an active deterrent” for casual applicants, the official added.
“Unless there is a penalty or a disincentive to apply for the exam without the intention of actually taking it, such a provision to withdraw applications is not likely to be an active deterrent,” the official said. “But it is a move worth exploring…We have to wait for a year or two to see how successful it is in its impact.”
According to a notification issued Thursday, applicants who have registered for the prestigious Civil Services Examination (CSE) — which picks the top IAS, IPS and IRS officers — but do not wish to take the exam due to some reason, will be allowed to withdraw their applications within a five-day window stipulated by the commission.
The preliminary examination for this year is scheduled to be held on 31 May. In its notification, the commission has allowed aspirants to withdraw their applications between 12 March and 18 March.
The official quoted above said that while the commission had introduced this facility for other examinations like the Indian Engineering Services (IES) last year, the government was earlier reluctant to extend the same provision for the CSE.
“Since the civil services exam is more prestigious, perhaps the government wanted to test how this provision actually functions,” the official added.
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‘Lot apply knowing they wouldn’t appear for exam’
A young IAS officer who had cleared the exam in 2018 shared the UPSC official’s scepticism.
“A lot of people apply knowing they wouldn’t appear for the exam that year…What is their incentive to withdraw the application even if the government is giving that option?” the officer said.
“Also, the exam is scheduled in late May, and the withdrawal for applications are being invited in March…A lot of people decide to not take the exam just days or weeks before because they feel unprepared,” the officer added. “Those people will still not withdraw their applications.”
ThePrint had earlier reported that the UPSC had told the Narendra Modi government to treat an application to the CSE exam as an attempt itself.
The commission had felt that since candidates can only make a limited number of attempts, they would make sure they do not apply for the exam if they are not fully prepared.
However, expecting that such a move would upset lakh of candidates who aspire to become civil servants, the government had turned down the proposal last year.
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Anil Kumar Yadav