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By the way : UPSC sans IAS

UPSC-sans-IAS

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the nodal agency which recruits officers and conducts the civil services exams, doesn’t have a single IAS officer on its administrative board. The UPSC is currently headed by Prof David R. Syiemlieh, an academician. It has eight members on its board. Except for IPS officer, Bhim Sain Bassi, former Police Commissioner, and Indian Foreign Service officer, Sujata Mehta, all members are out of the domain of civil services. It’s a body of postal officers, engineers and educators. Vinay Mittal is an IRTS officer. Arvind Saxena, an engineer by education, is an IPoS officer of the 1978 batch. Prof (Dr) Pradeep Kumar Joshi, an educator, served as Chairman, Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission, and also Chairman, Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission. Air Marshal Ajit Shankarrao Bhonsle (retd), is a defence professional. Dr Manoj Soni is an educator and former Vice Chancellor of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University. One thus wonders why there is no IAS officer in the core body which recruits IAS, IPS, and IFS and other civil servants. Sources disclosed that former Chairman Deepak Gupta reportedly created a hullabaloo on the issue of status of UPSC chairman and its members–all were equal in the status holding cabinet rank status. It is reported that Deepak Gupta, former Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, who allegedly got the coveted post through the recommendation of a Gujarati solar panel contractor, did not like the idea of being equal among equals. So, a request was made that only the Chairman UPSC should hold Cabinet Secretary status and privileges with other members being at par with Secretary rank. Naturally, the IAS fraternity do not want to join the bandwagon even after retiring as Secretary to work under a non-civil services officer.

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