Chandigarh, February 6
A major clerical goof-up by the Punjab personnel department has rendered employees of the Central and other state governments ineligible to appear in the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) examination.

Documents in possession of The Tribune reveal that while the Punjab chief minister had approved 45 years as the upper age limit for aspirants working with either of the Punjab, Central or any other state government, the Punjab Public Service Commission’s advertisement only mentioned this relaxation for Punjab government employees. While the mistake has left several potential applicants high and dry, the revelation has also raised questions on the functioning of the PPSC.

In February last, the PPSC wrote to a joint secretary in the department of personnel advising the state to allow government employees up to the age of 45 years to appear in the examination. The PPSC had recommended an increase from the limit of 38 years to 45 years on the grounds that the said move would be consistent with the provisions of Punjab Civil Services Rules, 1994.

Accordingly, the personnel department considered the matter at length and finally a note was moved in November, the relevant portion of which read, “The PPSC may be communicated as under in the matter of relaxation of upper age limit for government employees: upper age limit may be relaxed in the case of persons already in the employment of Punjab Government or other state government or the Government of India and in the case of persons appointed on ad hoc basis and who are later retrenched after having rendered continuous service for a period of not less than six months under the Punjab Government, to the extent the period of their service rendered under the Government, subject to a maximum of 45 years of age.”

The file noting was put up by the under secretary in the personnel department on November 9 and was approved by the CM. However, when it came to sending a written communication to the PPSC, the under secretary failed to mention that the age limit had been enhanced for all government employees, including those of Punjab, Centre or some other states.

The letter sent by the personnel department to the PPSC on November 12 read: “…the Government has taken a decision that for direct recruitment to PCS (Executive Branch) and other allied services under the present process, the upper age limit for Government employees be treated as 45 years.”

In the absence of a specific mention of employees of other states or the Centre, the staff at PPSC presumed that “Government employees” meant only Punjab government employees. The PPSC advertisement of November 26 2009, stated: “…the upper age limit for a Punjab Government employee, including that of a court who has not less than four years continuous service under the government, will be relaxable up to 45 years.”