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Office of the UPSC in New Delhi.R.V. Moorthy
The number of Civil Service Examination candidates shortlisted for recruitment this year is the lowest since 2012. The reduced intake comes at a time when the Union government is facing an acute shortage of All India Services (AIS) officers who are willing, or available, to serve at the Centre.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) recommended only 685 from among the candidates who took the examination in 2021 for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), the Indian Police Service (IPS) and Group A and B of the Central Services.
Gradual decrease
In 2014, 1,236 candidates were recommended, and in 2012, 998. In 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, the number stood at 1,122, 1,078, 1,099, 990, 759, 829 and 761, respectively.
The number of candidates selected has fallen sharply and of posts advertised for recruitment from the examination has declined gradually.
For 2021, the government reported 749 vacancies. In 2020, as against 836 vacancies, only 761 were selected. In 2019, there were 927 vacancies and 829 selections.
A senior government official said the reduction in intake followed the government’s policy of “right-sizing” human resources.
Of the nearly five lakh candidates who took the preliminary examination in October 2021, 9,214 qualified to sit for the main examination. A total of 1,824 later appeared for the personality test. Nearly 10 lakh candidates had registered for the exam. Earlier this year, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had proposed amendments to the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954 relating to the Central deputation of IAS officers.
Through the amendments, IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service officers could be deputed to the Union government and Ministries without necessarily taking the State government’s nod.
The DoPT has said that the State governments have not been sponsoring adequate number of officers for Central deputation to meet the requirements of the Government of India.
