The Government on Tuesday suggested the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to postpone the preliminary exam scheduled next month till there is clarity on the syllabus and the new exam pattern called (Civil Services Aptitude Tests) CSAT. The prelims entrance exam is scheduled to be held on August 24. There have been protests from a section of civil services aspirants for scrapping it.
“We are also urging the UPSC and the committee that was constituted to look into the matter that not only a report should be constituted at the earliest, considering the urgency of the matter and the concern of all sections of the society... They should also consider postponing the date of the preliminary examination,” Union Minister Jitendra Singh said talking to the reporters outside Parliament.
ABVP activists on Monday had staged protests outside the UPSC office demanding scrapping of CSAT saying such a pattern was putting Hindi language aspirants at a disadvantage.
Singh, who is also Minister of State for DoPT and PMO, said, “Till the report about the final conclusions in the matter is out, these young guys and girls would not be able to make out the kind of preparation they have to do for the exam.” A group of students also met Singh over the issue on Tuesday
The Minister said senior officials would meet the protesting students and urge them to end their hunger strike. “We were all deeply concerned when we found our students were resorting to hunger strike. We have succeeded in convincing them. They should not resort to such extreme measures,” he said.
“We would write to the UPSC and the committee that has been constituted to submit this report to expedite the process, address their concerns judiciously and sympathetically and not let them go with a feeling that they have been wronged on account of any bias towards any language... There should be no injustice regarding the language and Government does not support this,” Singh said.
RJD and Congress members had raised the issue during the Zero Hour in the lok Sabha. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan rejected the notice for adjournment motion on the issue by RJD members Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav.