Demonstration outside Parliament over change in UPSC norms

Several persons gathered outside Parliament on Monday to demonstrate and protest against a change in the norms for the holding of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had submitted a proposal last year to the Central Government suggesting certain changes in the existing scheme of Civil Services (Main) Examination to make it more relevant with the present day, global as well as internal scenario on the basis of the report of a committee, constituted by the Commission under the chairmanship of Prof. Arun S.Nigavekar, former Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC).

Protests have been taking place at regular intervals throughout the year over moves to change existing UPSC norms.

A majority of the protests are related to the exclusion of foreign languages as optional subjects from UPSC, as also against the new Civil Services Aptitude Test and (CSAT) pattern introduced in the UPSC exam.

Three days ago, students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University had staged a similar protest march from Mandi House to Parliament Street.

The march was called by Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union and was joined by students from other colleges as well as a large number of other UPSC apirants.

They had then demanded the restoration of foreign languages taught in Indian universities in the list of subjects of UPSC Civil Services Exam and granting of three additional attempts and age relaxation to the candidates who are caught in the transition of syllabus change of 2011 and 2013 among others.

Monday's protest, however, lasted for a couple of minutes, as security forces moved in quickly to quell the disturbance.