Promotion in the All India Services is time-bound, and nearly all officers reach the top of the scale. The creature comforts that come with the posts are also available to all officers.
Group of civil services aspirants had moved SC arguing that practice of releasing final keys after entire recruitment cycle leaves candidates without a fair chance to challenge errors.
UPSC chairperson Ajay Kumar fielded questions from civil services aspirants in a live DD News session. ‘It is like Mumbai’s dabbawalas — every candidate gets their own paper.’
For the first time in 100 years, UPSC aspirants can ask chairman questions in real-time during 12 pm–1 pm on 1 October 2025 via social media platforms using the official hashtag #AskChairmanUPSC.
The story of UPSC isn’t just that of an exam but about how India defines merit, opportunity and fairness. Over the last 100 years, its journey has been one of constant churn, reforms and resets.
Plea argues that Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act mandates at least 4% of total seats be reserved for PwDs, & 1% of this for those with low vision, blindness.
Amol Mitkari wrote to UPSC seeking verification of her documents. He later issued an apology for his remarks on social media. But, he hasn't clarified if he has withdrawn the letter, too.
The commission, with help from the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), has designed a mobile app which would verify photograph of a candidate clicked at the examination centre.
We must first focus on the harder things that reduce the legitimacy of any election process in the eyes of the voters such as ensuring the independence of the Election Commission.
While global corporations setting up GCCs in India continue to express confidence in availability of skilled AI engineers, the panel argued that India’s real challenge lies elsewhere.
Without a Congress revival, there can be no challenge to the BJP pan-nationally. Modi’s party is growing, and almost entirely at the cost of the Congress.
As soon as I read the article I wondered who can weave lies so clearly. I read the name and things became crystal clear . People ask what is in the name, but in India actually everything is in the name. Out of 100 plus secretaries how many come from obc ? Around 2 or 3 earlier it was 0. Leave out the SC and ST who face even more discrimination. This author a defender of the false Merit argument tries so hard. But the truth lies in who is writing the article
The description of the service and the perks seemed to be tailor-made to attract expats to serve in distant colonies during the Raj. Last I checked, the British left India over 75 years ago. What is the reason for such perks, lack of accountability, and employment guarantee? Civil servants are neither civil nor consider themselves servants of the public. Along with the politicians, they are like modern-day maharajas lording over the populace. This antiquated institution requires a major rethink.
Author has made a valiant effort to promote a myth that the postings and promotions in the All India Services are caste-neutral and only the officers in subordinate cadres belonging to the SC/ST communities are occasionally discriminated against and not the IAS and IPS officers when he says that The government officers from the SC and ST communities sometimes face discrimination in promotion and postings, just as women officers and those from minority communities might. However, such discrimination is, by and large, limited to subordinate cadres and levels. The All India Service officers, irrespective of their caste, gender, or religion, are promoted in a time-bound manner.
Experience of SC/ST officers in the IAS and IPS has different story to tell and data also indicates otherwise. Secondly, only IAS officers get time-bound promotions, every year on January first but not officers belonging to the other two Services. And who blocks their time-bound promotions, is not a secret. There is a conflict of interest here which cannot be explained in comments like this. Can someone tell who was the last SC officer who became CBI Director and when? Or for that matter as Home Secretary or Finance Secretary?
Kathryn Victoria Bahnken Doner has documented this discrimination in an article titled as Seventy Years Later: Caste in the Indian Bureaucracy.
Donor has insightfully noted in the abstract that Specifically, the upper tiers of the bureaucracy remain dominated by caste elites as during the colonial era. The factors that prevent such diversification of the Indian administrative bureaucracy include rigid social stereotypes about caste-oppressed groups, internal resistance to affirmative action initiatives, as well as institutional obstacles to the entry and promotion of historically oppressed castes.
Article is mainly about the IAS. Situation is much worst in the IPS.
We should stop pretending that the system provides equal opportunities to the SC officers to grow in the AIS and there is no discrimination against them. Discrimination is a reality.
As soon as I read the article I wondered who can weave lies so clearly. I read the name and things became crystal clear . People ask what is in the name, but in India actually everything is in the name. Out of 100 plus secretaries how many come from obc ? Around 2 or 3 earlier it was 0. Leave out the SC and ST who face even more discrimination. This author a defender of the false Merit argument tries so hard. But the truth lies in who is writing the article
The description of the service and the perks seemed to be tailor-made to attract expats to serve in distant colonies during the Raj. Last I checked, the British left India over 75 years ago. What is the reason for such perks, lack of accountability, and employment guarantee? Civil servants are neither civil nor consider themselves servants of the public. Along with the politicians, they are like modern-day maharajas lording over the populace. This antiquated institution requires a major rethink.
Author has made a valiant effort to promote a myth that the postings and promotions in the All India Services are caste-neutral and only the officers in subordinate cadres belonging to the SC/ST communities are occasionally discriminated against and not the IAS and IPS officers when he says that The government officers from the SC and ST communities sometimes face discrimination in promotion and postings, just as women officers and those from minority communities might. However, such discrimination is, by and large, limited to subordinate cadres and levels. The All India Service officers, irrespective of their caste, gender, or religion, are promoted in a time-bound manner.
Experience of SC/ST officers in the IAS and IPS has different story to tell and data also indicates otherwise. Secondly, only IAS officers get time-bound promotions, every year on January first but not officers belonging to the other two Services. And who blocks their time-bound promotions, is not a secret. There is a conflict of interest here which cannot be explained in comments like this. Can someone tell who was the last SC officer who became CBI Director and when? Or for that matter as Home Secretary or Finance Secretary?
Kathryn Victoria Bahnken Doner has documented this discrimination in an article titled as Seventy Years Later: Caste in the Indian Bureaucracy.
Donor has insightfully noted in the abstract that Specifically, the upper tiers of the bureaucracy remain dominated by caste elites as during the colonial era. The factors that prevent such diversification of the Indian administrative bureaucracy include rigid social stereotypes about caste-oppressed groups, internal resistance to affirmative action initiatives, as well as institutional obstacles to the entry and promotion of historically oppressed castes.
Article is mainly about the IAS. Situation is much worst in the IPS.
We should stop pretending that the system provides equal opportunities to the SC officers to grow in the AIS and there is no discrimination against them. Discrimination is a reality.