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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