Highlights of UPSC exam changes by Baswan committee in suspense

The changes recommended to be made in The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams by the Baswan committee is still in suspense as the Union Ministry refuses to give out the summary of the meeting held in that regard.

In August 2015, UPSC had formed a committee headed by former Human Resource Development Secretary and retired IAS officer BS Baswan, to review the procedures followed in civil services examination.

Recently, a petitioner had submitted a Right to Information (RTI) form seeking details about the highlights of the Baswan committee and the changes suggested in the UPSC. In reply to this, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had claimed to have submitted the summary of the meeting to the government on August 11, this year.

However, it refused to share any other details about the meeting now. "No further information specific to your query can be shared at this stage," the reply said in response to the letter seeking a copy of the detailed report and the decisions carried out.

According to inside sources, the committee had suggested the lowering of the upper age limit of the candidates from 32 years to be eligible to appear in the civil services exam.

The plan of examination, number of papers, their structure and duration, marking scheme, weightage of marks and system of evaluation were taken into consideration while Baswan committee made the changes, sources added.

While the minimum age limit is 21 years, the bar on upper age limit is relaxed for candidates from scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, other backward classes, and those who had ordinarily been domiciled in Jammu and Kashmir during the period from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 1989.

UPSC exam is conducted every year to recruit officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.