Expressing concern over the declining number of candidates who write their papers in languages other than English in civil services examinations, JD(U) today demanded incentives for such applicants including an increase in the number of times they can sit for the exams.
In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, party president Sharad Yadav drew his attention to the drastic fall in the numbers of such candidates and demanded more facilities for them.
From 5,083 in 2008, the number of applicants giving their papers in Hindi have steadily fallen to 1,682 in 2011, marking a decline in percentage terms from 49.43 percent to barely 11 percent, he wrote in the letter.
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In the letter, which was released to the media today, Yadav said that changes made by the UPSC in the examination format in 2011 and then in 2013 have made things even more difficult for students with non-English background.
"Keeping in mind these factors, I request you to ensure that no injustice is done to students who write their exams in Indian languages," he said, demanding a relaxation in age limit and increase in the number of attempts for the exam.
Giving figures of the number of students writing in other languages, Yadav said there were only 14 candidates who chose Tamil in 2011 against 98 in 2008.
The numbers for Telugu candidates fell to 29 from 117 and for Kannada, it was down to five from 14, he said.
