Union minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said the government had not found it feasible to change the existing provisions on the number of attempts and the age limit for the civil services examination.

The issue of granting age relaxation and an extra attempt to candidates for the civil services exam because of Covid-19 was brought before the Supreme Court by some aspirants, the minister of state for personnel said.

“Based on the judgments passed by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, the matter was considered and it has not been found feasible to change the existing provisions regarding the number of attempts and age limit in respect of the civil services examination,” he said in the Lok Sabha.

However, the recruitment cycle of the Staff Selection Commission was delayed because of Covid. Therefore, for the exams being advertised in 2022, the SSC has decided to fix the crucial date for determining the age as January 1, 2022, Singh said.