Former bureaucrats call Sanjeev Sanyal’s remarks on preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Exam “absurd.”
UPSC CSE 2024: To fill positions for the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group “A,” Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group “A,” and other positions, the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) holds the Civil Services Examination each year. The remarks made earlier on Wednesday by Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), that thousands of students spend five to eight years preparing for the civil services test are a “waste of youthful energy,” were characterised by former bureaucrats as “absurd” and “avoidable.”
Millions, they said, wish to join the in-demand government services in order to support the development of their country. Sanyal has said that if one wants to become an administrator, they should only take the UPSC or similar exams. As previously noted, it is quite OK to try the UPSC or other similar tests, but only if the individual aspires to be an administrator, Sanjeev Sanyal said in a series of postings shared on the social networking platform X. The issue is that thousands of individuals take this test every five to eight years as a “way of life.” What a waste of young vitality this is!
Former IAS officer G. Sundaram responded to his remarks by saying, “It is absurd.” India is a big nation. The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), among other services, were established by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first home minister of Independent India, because we are interested in a unified India. Everything is operating well. He went on to add that there could be certain shortcomings that are easily fixed, according to news agency PTI. The Tourism Secretary Sundaram, a Gujarat cadre IAS official who superannuated in 1962, said, “His (Sanyal’s) comments were completely avoidable.”
Sanyal’s claim was preventable, according to S. K. Sarkar, a former secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training. It’s not a waste of youth’s resources or efforts. According to PTI, the 1979 batch IAS official of West Bengal cadre said, “I don’t agree with his assertion.” Many individuals, he said, want to work in government services. “These are the top services available in India to support the growth and development of the country. His remarks may have been avoided.
Sanjeev Chopra, a former IAS officer, said that although Sanyal has the right to express his opinions, it is not appropriate to criticise young people who want to work in government. “Not everyone wants to work for Ambani. In addition, many want to be thespians, artists, and poets. Many aspire to be government employees. Additionally, he said that there is no position in the government that is more satisfying than one that covers the whole district or that of a joint secretary (JS). According to Chopra, an IAS officer from the 1985 batch and the director of the nation’s top civil servant training institution, the Lal Bahadur Shastri of the National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, he “is of course entitled to his views, but to be critical of young women and men who wish to be civil servants is not in good taste.”
S.Y. Quraishi, a former chief election commissioner, did, however, somewhat concur with Sanyal’s remarks. He has some merit. Seven or eight years are being spent by young people getting ready for the civil service test. To work for these services, some individuals forgo rich careers and large wages,” he said. Former IAS officer Quraishi proposed limiting the number of times candidates might participate in the civil service test. “The number of tries submitted for the civil services test is excessive. As it was before, there can only be three tries in total. Those who belong to scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, or other lower social strata could face additional challenges, he noted.
