M A I N   N E W S

IAS aspirants can make two more attempts now
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 10
Civil services aspirants have a reason to cheer. The government on Monday decided to give two additional attempts with consequential age relaxation to all categories of candidates of the prestigious exam conducted by Union Public Service Commission.

“The Central Government has approved two additional attempts to all categories of candidates with effect from the Civil Services Examination 2014, with consequential age relaxation of maximum age for all categories of candidates, if required,” said Department of Personnel and Training said.

The move comes after an assurance by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to a delegation of civil service aspirants that steps will be taken to redress their grievances.

“We had met Rahul Gandhi and he had promised to look into our woes,” said Vikas Kumar, an IAS aspirant from Bihar. As per existing rules, a candidate is permitted a maximum of four attempts. The maximum age limit for such candidates is 30 years. There is no restriction on number of attempts by a candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). As many as seven attempts are permissible to an aspirant belonging to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), according to a notification issued for Civil Services Examinations, 2013.

The fresh government order will especially benefit those aspirants who have exhausted their four attempts and running 30 years of age. "Such aspirants will get two more attempts till 32 years of age," said an official. The rules will soon be notified by the government for further clarity non-age relaxations, he said.

The Civil Services Examination (Preliminary), 2014 is tentatively scheduled to be held on August 24, this year.

The examinations is conducted in three stages-- preliminary, mains and interview.

(With agency inputs)