S. Vishnu Sharma
UPSC Civil Services Exam, Union Public Service Commission Civil Services prelims exam 2020 to be held on 31 May has been postponed. UPSC held a special meeting on 4 May to review the situation.
The organisation is said to have focused on the existing situation and the restrictions in place, UPSC after reviewing the circumstances is said to have come to the conclusion that conducting exams and interviews in the present situation would not be possible, and hence has taken the decision to postpone the Civil services exam.
UPSC Civil Services Exam 2020:
India is currently under lock down to prevent Corona virus from causing more problems. The lock down which started in April has extended into May now. Ever since the whole nation went into lock down, host of well-known exams have been postponed.
NEET UG 2020, JEE Mains 2020 are among those postponed. Now UPSC Civil Services Exam has joined the stream. Not only that, as UPSC Civil Services Exam serves as a screening test for Indian Forest Service Exam, the schedule for this is also postponed, say services.
P. Shivakumar, who teaches History in a civil services coaching institute says the postponement is nothing surprising. The development was an expected one. Corona virus outbreak has affected many localities in the nation.
Amidst such a situation, it will not be possible to conduct such a large scale activity like UPSC Civil Services exam, he says. UPSC sources say, a fresh review will be conducted on 20 May and new dates for these two popular exams will be informed on the official website of UPSC.
It is worth noting that interview for UPSC Civil Services Exam 2019 was also postponed earlier. Whatever has happened is good, says T.S. Sriram, a Political Science lecturer.
The way COVID-19 is spreading only indicates that conducting a large scale activity like UPSC Civil Services exam is not possible.
Even if we are to conduct the exam it may not be possible for all to write it as of now. This situation is a blessing in disguise feel many civil services aspirants.
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The time available to prepare for UPSC Civil Services exam (prelims 2020) is more, this can be fruitfully used, says T. Krishna Kumar, who aspiring for 2020 prelims exam of UPSC Civil Services.
Echoing the same sentiment with another view point is Prashant Jain, another civil services aspirant. If lock down comes to an end in a timely manner, the possibility of conducting exams can still take place.
There may be minor delays, but they need not be worried about as of now, he says. The best thing would be to put the time available now to maximum use. The present situations may not leave enough time to prepare for further stages like Mains and Personality test.
The best thing would be to use the present time for further stages of UPSC Civil Services Exam like Mains Exam now itself, says Prashant Jain.
Applicants for UPSC Civil Services Exam can begin their preparation for Mains exam in case their preparation for prelims is over.
The Commission has already deferred Notification for the Indian Economic Service/Indian Statistical Service Examination 2020, notification for the Combined Medical Services Examination 2020 and notification for the Central Armed Police Forces Examination 2020 and the NDA & Naval Academy Examination 2020.
Sources further say when dates of UPSC Civil Services Exam and other popular exams are decided, candidates will ensured that they get a notice of at least 30 days. The notification of UPSC mentioning the postponement of UPSC Civil Services Exam can be accessed at this link ‘https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/UPSC_Pres_Release.pdf’
Public Service Commission in India
The origin of the Public Service Commission in India is found in the First Dispatch of the Government of India on the Indian Constitutional Reforms on the 5th March, 1919 which referred to the need for setting up some permanent office charged with the regulation of service matters.
This concept of a body intended to be charged primarily with the regulation of service matters, found a somewhat more practical shape in the Government of India Act, 1919.
Section 96(C) of the Act provided for the establishment in India of a Public Service Commission which should discharge, in regard to recruitment and control of the Public Services in India, such functions as may be assigned thereto by rules made by the Secretary of State in Council.
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After passing of the Government of India Act, 1919, in spite of a prolonged correspondence among various levels on the functions and machinery of the body to be set up, no decision was taken on setting up of the body. The subject was then referred to the Royal Commission on the Superior Civil Services in India (also known as Lee Commission).
The Lee Commission, in their report in the year 1924, recommended that the statutory Public Service Commission contemplated by the Government of India Act, 1919 should be established without delay.
Subsequent to the provisions of Section 96(C) of the Government of India Act, 1919 and the strong recommendations made by the Lee Commission in 1924 for the early establishment of a Public Service Commission, it was on October 1, 1926 that the Public Service Commission was set up in India for the first time.
It consisted of four Members in addition to the Chairman. Sir Ross Barker, a member of the Home Civil Service of the United Kingdom was the first Chairman of the Commission.