UPSC panel wants lower eligibility age, govt says let’s build consensus

NEW DELHI: A government panel called this week for a reduction in the upper-age limit of candidates for India’s civil services examination, prodding the NDA administration to ditch a decades-long practice of raising the ceiling under political compulsion.

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The government indicated it is likely to accept the recommendation, with Union minister Jitendra Singh asking Lok Sabha on Wednesday to evolve a consensus on reducing the upper-age limit.

“I do not know whether the House is aware that the last cutoff (age) for appearing for civil services today is 47 years, and at 50 years they are eligible for retirement,” the minister of state for personnel told MPs. “The age went up due to pressure from political sections, not on merit.”

The panel headed by former education secretary BS Baswan submitted its report on Tuesday to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) that conducts the examination.

“A decision will be taken by the government in consultation with the UPSC,” a senior government official told HT. Baswan was unavailable for comment.

The current upper-limit for general, able-bodied candidates is 32. The committee recommended it be reduced to 27 over five years after a two-year freeze.

This suggestion was made because thousands of students who spend years preparing for the examination might find their careers jeopardised if suddenly declared ineligible.

The examination is conducted in three stages — preliminary, main, and interview — to recruit officers to 23 civil services including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS).