Civil Services

UPSC Mains 2024: Timings, schedule, admit card and other documents to carry

The UPSC Mains 2024 exams are scheduled to take place on September 20, 21, 22, 28, and 29. The first shift will start from 9 am to 12 noon, while the other session from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Delhi HC asks Puja Khedkar to respond to UPSC's plea claiming perjury

Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to Khedkar on the UPSC's application and granted her three weeks to file reply to it.

Willing to get disability examined in Aiims, Puja Khedkar tells Delhi HC

Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar on Thursday told Delhi High Court she was willing to get herself medically examined in AIIMS, after the city police claimed that one of her disability certificates may be "forged" and "fabricated". Khedkar, who has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits, made the submission while the court was dealing with her anticipatory bail plea in the criminal case. "I am willing to get myself medically examined. First they say I changed my name. Now they say disability is questionable. I am willing to go to AIIMS," the senior counsel appearing for Khedkar said. Justice Subramonium Prasad listed the matter for further hearing on September 26, recording that the police have prayed for 10 more days for further investigation. Khedkar's interim protection of arrest granted by the high court will continue till then. The Delhi Police counsel argued that Khedkar "concealed facts" while attempting th

Not just lateral appointments, India needs major administrative reforms

If India wants to be "Viksit Bharat" in 21st century, it can't do so with a 19th-20th century colonial-style administration. Core govt functions need a more professionally trained civil service

CCPA slaps Rs 5 lakh fine on Shankar IAS Academy for misleading ads

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a Rs 500,000 fine on Shankar IAS Academy for misleading advertisements related to the 2022 civil service exam, the regulator said on Sunday. The CCPA, led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, found that the coaching institute made false claims about its success rate and the nature of courses taken by successful candidates. In its advertisement for the 2022 UPSC Civil Service exam, Shankar IAS Academy claimed "336 selections out of 933 at All India Level", "40 candidates in Top 100", and "2 candidates have cleared from Tamil Nadu, of which 37 studied at Shankar IAS Academy". The institute also advertised itself as the "Best IAS Academy in India". However, the CCPA discovered that Shankar IAS Academy "deliberately concealed" information about the specific courses taken by the successful candidates it advertised for. "This practice consequently attracts consumers into buying paid courses advertised by the coaching institutes,"

HC extends interim protection of suspended IAS Puja Khedkar till Sept 5

Puja Khedkar, facing allegations of cheating and improperly securing OBC and disability quota benefits

Centre approves Aadhaar-based authentication of candidates in UPSC exams

Aadhar-based verification will be applicable during the registration process and at various stages of examinations and recruitment

UPSC aspirants' deaths: IIT professors examine SUV, coaching centre gate

A team of IIT-Delhi professors has examined the SUV, seized in connection with the drowning of three civil services aspirants at Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar, and the gate of the building housing the coaching centre, the CBI said Wednesday. In its report submitted before a special court here, the central agency said the experts took the measurements of the vehicle and the gate on Sunday. The agency further said that the SUV, a Force Gurkha, will also be inspected by a domain expert i.e. a motor vehicle inspector. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought one more week's time to get the vehicle examined by the inspector. The agency has made the submissions in response to vehicle owner's plea to release his SUV. Citing the postmortem report, the CBI has said that the three UPSC aspirants had died during the flooding on July 27 due to asphyxia caused by antemortem drowning. The agency said its investigation revealed that on July 27 at about 6.30 pm, several

Coaching centre deaths: Court denies permission to restart institute

Abhishek Gupta, CEO of Coaching Center, had sought access to the building where three UPSC aspirants died on July 27 in Old Rajender Nagar

Why the U-turn on lateral entry doesn't serve Modi govt's agenda well

This glorious 500 are generalists, rather than specialists. They are selected young, through a fiendishly difficult examination, and many stop learning anything new the moment they pass that exam

Amid quota row, Centre asks UPSC to cancel lateral entry advertisement

In a letter to the UPSC, Jitendra Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly believes that the process of lateral entry should adhere to the principles of equity and social justice

Need to come out of silos of seductive civil service jobs: V-P Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed concern over the "seductive" draw of the civil services, urging the aspirants to look for "lucrative" opportunities in other fields. Dhankhar made the observation while addressing the induction programme of the first batch of joint masters/LLM degree in Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Management at National Law University, Delhi. "...Now, I find the extravaganza of coaching centre advertisements overall in the newspapers... page one, page two, page three are filled up with faces of boys and girls who have made it. The same faces are being used by multiple organisations," the vice president said. "Look at the extravaganza of these advertisements, the cost, every penny of that advertisement has come from those young boys and girls who are in pursuit of securing a future for themselves," he added. The vice president asked the youths to look around for opportunities in other fields as well. "The time has come, let us come out of t

Need to come out of silos of seductive civil service jobs: Dhankhar

Pointing to the "extravaganza of coaching centre advertisements" in newspapers, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed concern over the "seductive" draw of the civil services, urging them to look for "lucrative" opportunities in other fields. Dhankhar was addressing the induction programme of the first batch of joint masters/LLM degree in Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Management at National Law University, Delhi. "...Now, I find the extravaganza of coaching centre advertisements overall in the newspapers... page one, page two, page three are filled up with faces of boys and girls who have made it. The same faces are being used by multiple organisations," the vice president said. "Look at the extravaganza of these advertisements, the cost, every penny of that advertisement has come from those young boys and girls who are in pursuit of securing a future for themselves," he added. The vice president asked the youth to look around for opportunities in other fields as

Vision India 2047: Revolutionising the civil service for a new era

As India grapples with its unique set of issues and embarks on its journey to become a developed country, comprehensive reforms in the civil service are increasingly imperative

UPSC aspirants' deaths: Protest against coaching centres enters 7th day

The students have been protesting since July 27, when three civil services aspirants lost their lives in the basement of Rau's Rau's IAS Circle after rainwater gushed into it

MCD seals two basements for violating rules, issues notice to owners

The civic body sealed the two basements in the Shahdara South Zone and Najafagarh Zone, according to a press release

90% of coaching centres to shut down in 10-15 years: Super 30's Anand Kumar

Coaching centre deaths: Reacting to the recent tragedy, Anand Kumar of Super 30 said students have become clients for coaching centres while adding that fees should be controlled

Drishti IAS to provide Rs 10L each to families of deceased UPSC aspirants

Three UPSC aspirants died after a basement library at Rau's IAS campus was flooded during heavy rain on July 27 in Old Rajendra Nagar

UPSC aspirants hold election to select delegation for talks with officials

Civil services aspirants enrolled in various institutes on Thursday held a spot election in central Delhi's coaching hub of Old Rajinder Nagar to select a core committee to represent them in talks with authorities. However, the final selection was yet to be made amid commotion during the election process. A 10-15-member panel will be selected as the official delegation for negotiating with the authorities on the students' demands. A crowd of students gathered outside Rau's IAS Study Circle, where three civil services aspirants died after its basement was flooded on July 27, as the hopefuls pitched for their election to the committee. The audience voted for their preferred candidates by raising their hands. The candidates vying to become part of the delegation spoke about the issues that they would raise in the meetings. Their concerns included lopsided safety measures, poor living conditions and exorbitant rents, among others, affecting the daily lives of aspirants. "Due to the

Delhi area where IAS aspirants died flooded again after heavy rains

Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar, where three students died due to flooding in the basement of a coaching centre last week, was flooded again following a spell of heavy rain on Wednesday. Several videos surfaced of the flood-like situation in the stretch that is lined with many coaching centres. "We had come out from our home for dinner and it suddenly started raining and within minutes the whole area got flooded with water," a resident of the area said. "Even after five days (of the death of the UPSC aspirants), the administration and MCD is applying its complete force to suppress the protest and has done nothing for cleaning the drains," he said. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was heavily criticised for the incident, which has has triggered a political blame game between the BJP and the AAP. Students have been protesting since the incident happened on July 27 and are demanding improved safety measures at coaching centres that pose a threat to their lives. A civil services .