MUMBAI: The Union Public Service Commission ( UPSC) has changed its examination time table due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The examination and scheduled interviews will now be scheduled after May 3.
The UPSC has issued a notification announcing the postponement of the interviews. The eligible candidates will now be called for interviews after May 3.
Every year the UPSC conducts the competitive examinations for various posts in government departments at an all-India level. The program of the exam and the interviews are prescheduled.
The process takes place in three steps: preliminary examination, main examination and interviews.
Candidates clearing all three stages get posting in the Indian police service (IPS), Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).
As per the schedule, interviews are to be conducted in March and April every year.
Interviews were going on for UPSC-2019 at various places in India before the pandemic hit the country. All the interviews have been stopped due to the lockdown.
The new time table for the interviews will be communicated to the eligible candidates after May 3.
UPSC preliminary examination for civic services, engineering service main examination and Geology main examination of 2020 is already over. Any changes will be communicated to the candidates. This will also be flashed on the Commission’s website for the candidates’ benefit.
Meanwhile, the Common Entrance Test (CET) for medical service, examination for Indian finance service and statistical services for-year 2020 has been postponed.
The UPSC further stated in the statement that the examination program for the NDA and CAPF has also been postponed. The examinations will be scheduled after the pandemic gets over.
Earlier, the chairman and members of the UPSC, that conducts civil services examination to select country’s bureaucrats and diplomats among others had decided to forego 30 per cent of their basic pay for one year to aid the government ‘’s fight against coronavirus, according to an official communique.
Also, all officers and staff members of the UPSC volunteered one day salary to the PM Relief Fund/PM’ ’s Citizenship Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation Fund (PM CARES Fund), it further said.
(With agency inputs)
