Any decision to change the pattern of civil services (preliminary) examination and postponing its date will be taken after receiving a report from a three- member committee which is looking into the matter, the government said today.
Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Jitendra Singh also appealed to the aggrieved students appearing for the examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to end their indefinite fast.
He said the government is sympathetically looking at their concerns and is awaiting the report of the three-member panel set up under the chairmanship of Arvind Varma to look into this issue.
Regarding other demands of students related to the pattern and the dates of the exam, Singh said that the government will take a view after receiving the opinion of the UPSC as well of as that of the committee.
Earlier in the day, Singh urged the UPSC to postpone the preliminary exam till there is clarity on the syllabus and exam pattern.
"We are also urging upon the UPSC and the committee that was constituted to look into the matter that not only report be constituted at the earliest, considering the urgency of the matter and the concern of all sections of the society... They should also consider postponing the date of the preliminary examination," he told reporters outside Parliament.
The civil services (preliminary) examination 2014 is scheduled to be held on August 24.
A release issued by the ministry later said the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has advised the committee members conveying the urgency of the matter and to furnish the report without any delay.
Singh held a meeting with the representatives of the students and conveyed to them that the government is fully aware of their concerns and is making every effort to address their grievances in a judicious manner, it said.
The civil services examination is conducted in three stages--preliminary, main, and interview-- to choose candidates for prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.
