The yr 2024 for the UPSC universe wasn’t simply marked with difficult questions, motivational topper tales, or movies depicting struggles. It was a yr of controversies, tragedies and debates that affected the UPSC, civil servants and aspirants in actual life. In actual fact, these points turned the curiosity of the nation and ranked excessive on information headline charts all year long.
Listed below are the highest six controversies from the UPSC Universe which hit the headlines and created an enormous buzz.
#1 Delhi UPSC teaching middle deaths
Three UPSC aspirants died in July after they have been trapped within the basement of Rau’s IAS teaching centre in Central Delhi’s Previous Rajinder Nagar, which was flooded when a drain burst throughout heavy rain. The incident got here days after a UPSC aspirant was electrocuted on a waterlogged Delhi avenue.
The UPSC Universe contemplated: Why would the UPSC aspirants proceed to threat their lives by learning in such unregulated libraries?
Whereas most underground libraries — marketed by way of collapsible boards, posters, flex hoardings, painted show boards — have shut store quickly after the tragedy, some aspirants informed The Indian Categorical on July 29 about some institutions that “even officers will be unable to seek out except they’re aspirants themselves”.
Ankit, 27, a UPSC aspirant, spends most of his waking hours in a library positioned in a slim lane of Previous Rajinder Nagar. There’s actually nothing within the lane that signifies the existence of a library — until he factors to a clean LED digital show board, which, he says, introduced “24×7 Library” in unmistakable colors until the current tragedy.
“Such hidden libraries exist in nearly all lanes of Previous Rajinder Nagar and Karol Bagh (positioned round 2 km away). An outsider wants an aspirant’s eyes to seek out these locations. With out posters and banners, most move off for simply one other a part of a residential constructing,” says Ankit, a resident of Ghaziabad who has been making ready for civil providers whereas staying in Karol Bagh for the previous three years.
“Aspirants who dream of changing into IAS officers are often so centered on their preparations that they don’t realise the hazards of their environment until a tragedy strikes,” mentioned Ankit.
Click on right here to learn the total article written by Manas Srivastava. Additionally, don’t miss to learn “First particular person account — Diary of a former UPSC aspirant: Research in basement, dabba deliveries and sealing drives.” (Click on right here)
#2 The Puja Khedkar controversy
The Union Public Service Fee (UPSC) in July cancelled trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar’s candidature within the 2022 Civil Providers Examination (CSE) and barred her from showing for any future examinations of the fee, after discovering she had violated guidelines by showing for the examination extra occasions than what was allowed.
The UPSC Universe contemplated: Are the examinations course of performed by UPSC, the coaching course of by LBSNAA and the conduct of civil servants moral?
Chatting with The Indian Categorical, Dr Sanjeev Chopra, Former Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri Nationwide Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) helped us to grasp why this case was solely an aberration and that one incident can’t tarnish the picture of UPSC. He additionally suggests eradicating the Ethics paper and changing it with a reform.
“I don’t assume the Ethics paper makes a lot sense on this examination,” mentioned Chopra. Talking on the function of UPSC he mentioned, “ It’s not that UPSC has failed, it’s the ecosystem surrounding it that has prompted this incident to occur. Whereas the entire ecosystem isn’t unsuitable, some minor loopholes should be addressed. Such breaches can happen on a useful and operational degree.”
Click on right here to learn the total interview which is part of UPSC Necessities’ particular collection, ‘Knowledgeable Discuss’.
#3 The return of the ‘lateral entry’ debate
The Central authorities directed the Union Public Service Fee (UPSC) on August 20 to withdraw its commercial issued three days in the past, in search of functions for lateral recruitment to senior bureaucratic posts on the Centre. Opposition celebration leaders had criticised the coverage for not having reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Different Backward Courses (OBC) candidates. A few of the NDA’s allies additionally opposed the transfer.
The UPSC Universe contemplated: Is lateral entry a drawback for Civil Providers or UPSC aspirants?
“The recall of the federal government’s lateral entry commercial seems to be pushed by political pursuits beneath the guise of social justice, reasonably than a real evaluation of the coverage’s advantage,” mentioned one of many former civil servants in an interview to the UPSC Necessities of The Indian Categorical.
Click on right here to learn the total interview which is part of UPSC Necessities’ particular collection, ‘Knowledgeable Discuss’.
#4 Sanjeev Sanyal’s ‘absurd’ touch upon UPSC aspirants
Financial Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal mentioned in a collection of posts on social media platform X, “As talked about, it (is) completely superb to try the UPSC or different such exams, however provided that the particular person desires to be an administrator. The issue is that lakhs of individuals are spending 5-8 years repeatedly doing this examination as a ‘lifestyle’. That is such a waste of youthful power.” Former bureaucrats described this view as “absurd” and “avoidable”.
The UPSC Universe contemplated: Isn’t it demotivating and disrespectful for many who put together for Civil Providers with a objective?
Reacting to his feedback, former IAS officer G Sundaram mentioned, “It’s absurd. India is an enormous nation. We’re enthusiastic about a united India and that’s the reason Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, (the primary dwelling minister of Unbiased India) created these providers such because the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), amongst others. It’s all working effectively.” There could also be sure deficiencies which may after all be rectified, he mentioned.
“In case you fail at something in life, somebody will come as much as let you know that you just wasted your time. UPSC aspirants deserve respect for the trail they select and never discouragement”, mentioned our skilled Ravi Kapoor (Ex-IRS) in an interview to UPSC Necessities of The Indian Categorical.
Ravi Kapoor discovered Sanyal’s assertion ‘absurd’. He mentioned, “If aiming for Civil Providers by means of UPSC is a waste of time then so is desirous to develop into knowledgeable cricketer or knowledgeable actor or every other occupation which requires a really excessive diploma of arduous work, motivation and dedication. So, something that entails competitors and a skewed success ratio is a waste of time. This, in accordance with me, is an absurd conclusion a few prestigious examination and the brave college students who aspire for it.”
Click on right here to learn the total interview which is part of UPSC Necessities’ particular collection, ‘Knowledgeable Discuss’.
#5 Narayana Murthy’s touch upon IAS, IPS and UPSC
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has proposed an overhaul to the civil providers, recommending that Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers be recruited from enterprise colleges and personal sector reasonably than solely counting on the Union Public Service Fee examinations.
The UPSC Universe contemplated: To what extent is Narayan Murthy proper about not solely counting on UPSC examinations for hiring civil servants?
Whereas talking at an occasion this month, Murthy mentioned, “It’s time for India to maneuver from an administrative mindset to a administration mindset. The administration is all about the established order. Alternatively, administration is all about imaginative and prescient and excessive aspiration. It’s about attaining the believable unimaginable.”
In line with the Infosys co-founder, the present system of aggressive UPSC examinations can solely produce civil servants skilled on the whole administration. He advisable a management-based method that focuses on imaginative and prescient, price management, innovation, and speedy execution to cater to the altering calls for of governance.
Ravi Kapoor (Ex-IRS) in an interview with UPSC Necessities mentioned, “Narayana Murthy’s recommendation of hiring IAS, IPS from B-schools, not solely from UPSC might be disheartening for aspirants. The core precept of civil providers is to not promote, however to serve.”
Click on right here to learn the total interview which is part of UPSC Necessities’ particular collection, ‘Knowledgeable Discuss’.
#6 What diplomatic expulsion means
Indian International Service (IFS) was within the information because of Nijjar homicide case inflicting rift many developments in India-Canada relations. The 2 nations on October 14 introduced the expulsion of their prime envoys together with different diplomats in a pointy escalation of the row between the 2 nations over final yr’s killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The UPSC Universe contemplated: What diplomatic expulsion truly means for a diplomat?
T.P. Sreenivasan (IFS 1967), former Ambassador of India, offered his experiential narrative on life within the Indian International Service involving expulsion and different challenges in an interview with Manas Srivastava of The Indian Categorical. He was the primary Indian Head of Mission to be ever expelled by any nation.
Sreenivasan mentioned, “The expulsion of diplomats is a form of ‘letting out the steam’ or an instrument of diplomacy in worldwide relations utilized in distinctive circumstances. Though it seems to be a drastic measure, it’s a means of coping with an especially troublesome state of affairs peacefully. It could not be unsuitable to say that expulsions are a precaution towards any deterioration of the bilateral relationship.”
At occasions, nations use this mode as a logo of displeasure and fulfill their inhabitants. “Expulsion can also be the device to claim sovereignty (for instance diplomatic expulsions ordered by a weak State to claim their sovereignty towards interference by a stronger State) and defence towards doable outbreaks of conflicts or any disaster. Through the Chilly Conflict, a lot of diplomats have been expelled by the Soviet Union and the US (US),” mentioned Sreenivasan.
Telling us about one other essential ingredient of expulsion is reciprocity, Sreenivasan mentioned, “You’ll typically hear that when one nation expels diplomats for a purpose, the opposite nation reciprocates the identical variety of diplomats even when there isn’t any cost towards them. There are events when reciprocal expulsions have been ordered in a pleasant means. Diplomats beneath orders of switch, or those that have already left the mission, have confronted such pleasant expulsions. Would you consider that even the nations which might be greatest mates, expel every others’ diplomats? Such expulsions are usually not introduced and are stored secret. What is usually not talked about is how diplomatic expulsions are a part of the train inflicting inconvenience to diplomats and their households solely.”
“Aside from that it doesn’t alter enterprise as regular between the 2 nations; except a rustic closes down the mission overseas, it is not going to have an effect on a lot. Conditions will change, new diplomats will come, new ambassadors shall be posted, bilateral relations like India-Canada relations can’t be destroyed. It’s the diplomat and their household who need to undergo issues.”
Click on right here to learn the total interview which is part of UPSC Necessities’ particular collection, ‘Knowledgeable Discuss’.
POST SCRIPT
Expensive Aspirants,
The above talked about prime picks within the 2024 year-ender article have been handled intimately in UPSC Necessities’ particular collection, ‘Knowledgeable Discuss’. This unique collection is among the oldest and probably the most in style initiatives of the UPSC Part of The Indian Categorical the place Manas Srivastava talks to teachers, civil servants and topic space consultants on numerous points which have an effect on the lives of UPSC aspirants straight or not directly.
From examination ideas and UPSC controversies to information headlines regarding aspirants and addressing their doubts — the collection captures not solely what an aspirant would want within the examination significantly but in addition what he ought to know for his data on the whole. We promise to proceed with the collection in 2025 as effectively. Do tell us what points and subjects you need us to have interaction with the consultants. We will be comfortable to take them up.
In your queries and solutions write at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com
Wishing you a really Blissful New Yr.
The Indian Categorical UPSC Necessities brings to you the December situation of its month-to-month journal. Click on Right here to learn. Share your views and solutions within the remark field or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com
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