The expert committee on UPSC to examine various issues related to age relaxation, eligibility, syllabus and pattern of civil services examination to select IAS and IPS officers, will give its report within six-month time.
The panel would also review the effectiveness of the existing scheme of the prestigious test in selecting suitable candidates and "suggest the time-frame for implementation of the revised pattern of examination".
The committee headed by former HRD Secretary and retired IAS officer BS Baswan will examine the time-frame in which the examination is conducted and suggest suitable changes to reduce the time taken for selection of candidates by utilising information and communication technologies, as per its Terms of Reference (ToR). The expert committee will submit its report within six months of its constitution, in February next year, it said.
It will evaluate the effectiveness of the existing scheme of the civil services examination in selecting suitable candidates keeping in view factors such as the need for inclusiveness in the selection process, fair mix of candidates from different disciplines, the skill-sets required for a modern, effective and efficient civil service and trainability of selected candidates, after reviewing the recommendations of previous expert committees in this regard.
The civil service examination is conducted by Union Public Service Commission annually in three stages - preliminary, main and interview - to select officers for IAS, IFS and IPS, among others.
The panel will also examine the plan of examination, number of papers, their structure and duration, marking scheme, weightage of marks and system of evaluation "so as to arrive at an examination pattern that is holistic and does not exhibit any bias for or against candidates from any particular stream, subject area, language or region", according to the ToR.
The committee will suggest suitable eligibility criteria for candidates appearing in the examination, with particular reference to minimum and maximum age limits and number of attempts, to review the eligibility criteria for
candidates, who have already been selected to different services, and who desire to reappear for selection to some other service.
The panel has as its members B N Navalawala, former UPSC member, Hari Pratap Gautam, former Chairperson of University Grants Commission (UGC), Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman
All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), Professor Peter Ronald deSouza and Professor B Mahadevan.
MP Tangirala, Additional Secretary in the UPSC, is member secretary in thecommittee.