CM Yogi rolls back UPPSC's decision to hold staggered PCS exam

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Nov 14 (IANS) Accepting the demand of protesting job aspirants, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday rolled back the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) plan to conduct a staggered preliminary exam for Provincial Civil Services (PCS)-2024.

The decision to hold the exam on a single day came on the third day of an agitation by aspirants outside the UPPSC office in Prayagraj.

On the Chief Minister's direction, a committee was also set up by the UPPSC for formulating a strategy for conducting the Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO)-2023.

Earlier, the Commission had decided to conduct PCS preliminary examinations on December 7 and 8 in two shifts. The RO and ARO preliminary examinations were proposed to be held on December 22 and 23 in three shifts.

UPPSC officials said the dates will now be reworked as per the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who suggested holding talks with aspirants to find a solution.

The big breakthrough in the matter came hours after aspirants broke barricades on Thursday morning – the third day of their protest – on a road leading toward the UPPSC office from a roundabout near Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Civil Lines.

The agitating students were demanding that the upcoming Provincial Civil Services (PCS) and Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) exams, be conducted in a single shift, as was previously done.

Earlier, Sushil Kumar, one of the protestors, told IANS, “Our colleagues have been arrested…they are not even being given water. We are not criminals, terrorists or supporters of Opposition parties.”

Demanding "one day, one shift exams", he said aspirants appearing in the first shift of the exam will be at a disadvantage due to the proposed normalisation formula of the UPPSC.

Ajay Gupta, another protesting student from Prayagraj, said, “We are opposing the sudden proposal to use the normalisation formula. It was suggested about two weeks ago and not mentioned in the initial advertisement for the exam.”

He justified the students’ action of breaking barricades and rushing closer to the office of the UPPSC chairperson and secretary.

“We want to take our voice to them so that they act on our demands,” he said.

Amid allegations of political workers joining the protesting crowds, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had said in the morning that the state government was with the protesting UPPSC aspirants.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday slammed the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over police action against protesting UPPSC aspirants and accused it of "playing with their future".

Uttar Pradesh Police had registered an FIR against 12 individuals for alleged vandalism during a protest on Tuesday night.