The government has not found it feasible to change the existing provisions regarding the number of attempts and age-limit in respect of the civil services examination (CSE), the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said as regards to requests received from candidates on granting age relaxation and extra attempt to candidates for CSE due to the Covid pandemic, the issue was also brought before the Supreme Court vide writ petitions by aspirants.
"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 number of attempts and age-limit in respect of the civil services examination," he said in a written reply.
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) have been making all necessary arrangements for smooth conduct of examinations by adopting all COVID-19 safety protocols, the minister said.
The government has formed a committee for recommendations on the intake of direct recruit IAS officers through civil services examination from 2022 to 2030, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha, he also said the government has increased the annual intake of IAS officers to 180 through civil services examination till CSE-2021.
"The government has also constituted a committee for recommending the intake of direct recruit IAS officers every year through CSE from CSE-2022 to CSE-2030. As far as IPS is concerned, intake of IPS (RR officers) through CSE (civil services examination) has been increased from 150 to 200 w.e.f. CSE-2020," Singh said.
Further, filling up of vacancies through induction from state services is a continuous process and selection committee meetings are held by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) with the state governments, he said.
To a question whether the Centre was considering to acquire overriding powers to transfer IAS and IPS officers, Singh said the cadre rules of all three all India services viz IAS, IPS and IFoS contain provisions governing the central deputation.
"However, state governments have not been sponsoring adequate number of officers for central deputation. Accordingly, in terms of the provisions contained in Section 3 of all India services Act, 1951, comments have been sought from states/UTs on a proposal to amend Rule 6(1) of respective cadre rules," the minister said.
Singh also shared the details of strength of IAS officers of various cadres, represented as total authorised strength, which comprises of senior duty posts (SDP), central deputation reserve (40% of SDP), state deputation reserve (25% of SDP), training reserve (3.5% of SDP), leave reserve & junior reserve(16.5% of SDP) and those in-position.
As many as 548 IAS officers were in position in Uttar Pradesh against their total authorised strength of 652, 298 in West Bengal (against the strength of 378), 250 in Gujarat (against 313), 248 in Bihar (against 342), 59 in Jammu and Kashmir (against 137) and 338 in Maharashtra against their sanctioned strength of 415, among others, as on January 1, 2021, according to the minister's reply.
