The UPSC appointed committee is headed by former education secretary BS Baswan.
A Union Public Service Commission-appointed committee, headed by former education secretary BS Baswan would reportedly be discussing the cap on upper age-limit for civil service examinations with government.
The Congress-led UPA government had introduced the civil service aptitude test in the preliminary exam, which led to string of protests in August, 2015. After the protests, the Narendra Modi government had promised to revive the process for admission to civil services such as IAS and IPS.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, Baswan said, “We feel that the entry age is on the higher side. At the same time, we realise that candidates should not be put to any unforeseen hardship. Therefore, we would prepare a road map which will give all candidates sufficient time to adapt to the new system."
The age limit for candidates from general category in 1960s was 24 years, however by 2014 the age limit was eventually increased to 32 years. The rise in percentage of successful candidates above the age of 30 increased to 11% in 2013, from 6% in 2012, as per the report.
The provisions of the commission state that scheduled caste and scheduled tribes get a five-year relaxation, those from other backward classes get three-years and disabled candidates get an additional 10-year cut. In an instance from recent past, a 43-year-old had applied for age relaxation on grounds that he was a disabled from SC community.
Former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh too had supported the proposal to reduce the upper age limit for candidates. However, the plan couldn't materialise as several politicians protested against it by stating that it would put candidates from rural areas in an unfavourable position.
The argument put forth for reducing the limit is that civil servants who have past their thirties could not adapt well to core values required for the civil services.
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