The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), which had been without any member for weeks, got two members on Friday when governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered Sanjay Garg and Sarbjit Singh Dhaliwal the oath of office and allegiance to the Constitution at the Punjab Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh. At the same time, the Punjab State Civil Services (PCS) preliminary exam, which was to be conducted on October 26, has been rescheduled to December 7 keeping in view the floods in the state, the PPSC stated.
Garg, a native of Moga, is a retired principal district and sessions judge, while Dhaliwal, based in Mohali, is a retired district and sessions judge. Ironically, all five posts of the PPSC members were lying vacant following the retirement of the lone serving member, Harmohan Kaur Sandhu, on August 19 after completion of her six-year tenure.
Cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, PPSC chairman, Major General Vinayak Saini (retd) were present at the swearing-in-ceremony.
The number of PPSC members had been reduced from 10 to five in 2022 by chief minister Bhagwant Mann as an austerity measure. However, the AAP government didn’t appoint even a single member in its three-and-a-half years in office, raising concerns on the conduct of the PCS examination—particularly at the interview stage.
Regarding the PCS exam, PPSC secretary Charanjit Singh said the test would be held in two sessions on the same day. Admit cards would be uploaded on the commission’s website about 10 days before the exam.
{{/usCountry}}Regarding the PCS exam, PPSC secretary Charanjit Singh said the test would be held in two sessions on the same day. Admit cards would be uploaded on the commission’s website about 10 days before the exam.
{{/usCountry}}This year’s PCS exam is being held after a gap of five years. Despite directions from both the Punjab government and the high court that the exam be conducted annually, the last test was held in 2020 under the previous Congress government.