UPSC row again crops up in Rajya Sabha

The UPSC row again found its echo in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday with the Janata Dal-United and other opposition parties asking the government what was it doing to resolve the issue.

The government, meanwhile, once again assured the house that any decision on the issue would be balanced, comprehensive and in the interest of students, while students' protests continued in certain parts of Delhi.

Raising the issue in the house, Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav asked the government what steps was it taking to resolve the issue.

"What is the government doing to resolve the issue? It is not just about the students from Hindi belt, it is about students of regional languages as well," Yadav said.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prakash Javadekar assured the house that the government will take a decision in favour of the students.

"We will sort out the issue and take a decision in favour of the students. As soon as the decision is taken we will inform the house," Javadekar said.

Talking to reporters in the parliament complex, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said the government is seized of the matter and all efforts are being made to find a solution at the earliest.

"Government will take a balanced decision into the row over UPSC Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) very soon. The government is concerned over the issue and the committee which has been looking into the matter will soon submit its report," the minister said.

"The decision in this regard will be in the interest of aspirants," he added.

Protests by students, meanwhile, continued Wednesday in Mukharjee Nagar, a residential area in north Delhi near Delhi University, popular with students who pour into the national capital from other states to prepare for the civil services examination.

Early morning, four aspirants, who are on hunger strike for the past seven days, were taken by police to a hospital. They refused to be treated and rejoined the strike.

"We also held a symbolic protest against the CSAT by polishing shoes of the people at Connaught Place," Shubhankar Vats, a civil services aspirant, told IANS.

Civil service aspirants held protests Tuesday also outside the UPSC office.

The CSAT-II paper carries questions on comprehension, interpersonal skills including communication skills, logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision-making and problem-solving, general mental ability, basic numeracy, and English language comprehension skills (of Class X level).

The home ministry has assured the students the issue will be resolved in a week.