UPSC - CSAT pattern issue to be resolved soon

Government promises to resolve UPSC issue soon

New Delhi, July 30: Amid continuing protests by civil service aspirants demanding the scrapping of an aptitude test, the government said Monday that the row will be resolved soon.

"The UPSC issue will be resolved within a week," said Home Minister Rajnath Singh, a day after he apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the steps being taken to address the concerns of the aspirants who have dubbed the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) "discriminatory".

Hundreds of aspirants protested Monday morning outside the office of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in the heart of the city. The aspirants are continued their daily protests at Mukherjee Nagar, a residential area near Delhi University popular with students who pour into Delhi from other states to prepare for the civil service examination.

The students want the CSAT scrapped, saying it discriminates against those from the humanities and Hindi background. They have been objecting against the aptitude test and English language questions asked in the CSAT II paper, claiming they were much above the standard prescribed for the examination.

Will resolve UPSC exam row in a week: Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Home Minister Rajnath Singh Monday said the UPSC civil services exam issue will be resolved within a week. "UPSC issue will be resolved within a week," he told reporters.

Rajnath Singh apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday of the measures being taken to address the issues raised by civil services aspirants who are protesting the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). The aspirants have been demanding the CSAT be scrapped as they term it discriminatory.

The CSAT-II paper carries questions on comprehension, interpersonal skills, including communication skills, logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision-making and problem-solving, general mental ability, basic numeracy, and English language comprehension skills (of Class X level).

UPSC protest on, government advises aspirants to stay calm

UPSC aspirants on July 29, continued their protest here demanding scrapping of Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) from the entrance examination. The government advised the aspirants to maintain calm.

The protestors gathered outside the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) office in central Delhi and raised slogans against the former Congress government for implementing CSAT in the examination pattern. A few protestors were detained and taken to a police station, police said.

Minister of State for Personnel and Public Grievances Jitendra Singh said the students should have some patience as the government is concerned about the issue. "We are concerned about them and, in turn, they should also exercise restraint and have some patience as the government is already at it," he said.

The aspirants are continuing their protests at Mukherjee Nagar, a residential area in north Delhi near Delhi University popular with students who pour into Delhi from other states to prepare for the civil services examination.

The aspirants have been objecting against the aptitude test and English language questions asked in the CSAT-II paper, claiming those were much above the standard prescribed for the examination.

IANS