UPPSC Initiative: Now ex-judges, army officers to also serve on PCS interview boards

The UPPSC chairman thinks the PCS selection process can be made better with the presence of experts from more diverse fields on the interview boards

Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has implemented a big change in the interview board of its most prestigious recruitment exam— the Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services Exam commonly known as PCS.

UPPSC headquarters in Prayagraj. (HT file)

Earlier, only those working as subject experts (professors from big educational institutions) as well as former and serving IAS and IPS officers were called as members of the interview board. But now the scope of the interview board members has been extended.

“Now, vice-chancellors of universities, former judges, army officers above the rank of brigadier, senior scientists and class-1 officers of the central government besides serving and former IAS and IPS too would be called to serve as members of UPPSC’s interview boards,” said UPPSC chairman Sanjay Shrinet.

The UPPSC chairman believes that the PCS selection process can be made better with the presence of experts from more diverse fields on the interview boards. The UPPSC has already been calling serving high court judges as interview board members for the selection of candidates vying for judicial services through PCS (J).

Although the selection of examination centres for recruitment exams of UPPSC is done at the district level, changes have been ensured from the government level regarding their selection recently to ensure that the examination get conducted only at the centres having a clean image.

“For the selection of centres, a special committee has been formed in every district which will henceforth prepare a list of schools with a clean image. The list will be verified by the district inspector of schools (DIoSs) before any school is made an exam centre,” Shrinet said.