"UPSC is convinced of the need for important changes in the method of recruitment to the higher civil services that are the vehicle for public service delivery. One of the recommendations made by the commission to the government is that a Civil Service Aptitude Test replace the existing Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination," UPSC chairman Prof D P Agrawal said.
The proposal is to have two objective type papers that are common to all candidates. The emphasis is on testing the aptitude of candidate for the demanding life in civil service, as well as on ethical and moral dimensions of decision-making, he said.
"It has also been proposed that the structure of the Civil Services (Main) Examination may remain the same till a committee of experts, that may be appointed by the commission, goes into various aspects," Agrawal said during the inauguration of UPSC lecture series on governance here.
Inaugurating the conference, President Pratibha Patil said, "The system has to be made corruption free. Like a cancer, corruption is the sore which drains the strength of a nation. Corruption has deprived the nation of better infrastructure and better facilities." The UPSC chairman said, "Careers in public service have become more attractive in the context of a better emoluments regime, as also on account of the changes in the global economic scenario. This places a responsibility on the government system to tailor procedures and careers to suit the newer vistas."
The commission is also of the view that while lowering the age of entry to the civil services may be desirable, interests of rural candidates who may complete their graduation later than their urban counterparts needs to be considered also, the UPSC chairman said.
"A reduction in the number of attempts allowed at the examination, as proposed by the Second Administrative Reform Commission (ARC), is however called for, so as to remove the premium on cramming and memorisation that a large number of attempts provides," Agrawal informed.
source: TOI