New Delhi, 4 December 2022 – Candidates who will be appearing for the Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Exams Main (UPSC CSE Main) are demanding the commission to postpone the exam because of the rising number of Omicron cases in the country.
Aspirants are demanding that since most of them have to travel to other cities and locations to give the exam, they will be effectively putting their and their families’ health at risk, as COVID-19 cases are surging across the country. Candidates are also stating that if they stay in hotels and eat out while appearing for the UPSC CSE main exam, they will be putting their lives at risk.
Therefore, aspirants demand the commission to postpone the exam until there is a decrease in Omicron (COVID-19) cases in the country.
Note: The UPSC CSE Main exam is scheduled to begin on 7 January 2022.
UPSC Main Exam: What are Candidates Demanding?
A UPSC candidate, Venkat Sriram, states that “With surge in covid cases & partial lockdown, please consider rescheduling the scheduled UPSC mains exams, which stretches for 10 days duration. Many students need to travel to the nearest capital city to write the exam, accommodation & travel concerning”.
Others are concerned that the UPSC main exam might turn out to be a “super-spreader event” or that it might infect candidates and waste their “long years of preparation for the exam”.
Why are Candidates Demanding UPSC to Postpone the Main Exam?
The main reason why candidates are demanding UPSC to postpone the exam is because around the country mostly state capitals (like Kolkata, Hyderabad, Dehradun, Jharkhand, among many others) are selected as centres. Due to this, candidates from remote towns, cities, and villages have to travel to these locations for the UPSC main exam.
Now, due to the rising number of Omicron cases in India, travelling to a different city and staying in hotels for the exam is quite risky. As these candidates might get infected with the virus, which will then also infect their families, they are demanding the commission to postpone the exam.
UPSC Main Exam: Major Points
- The UPSC CSE main exam will be held around the country on January 7, 8, 9, 15, and 16, respectively.
- The exam will consist of a total of nine papers, out of which two are for qualifying (A and B) and seven others are for merit.
- Candidates who get selected in the UPSC CSE Main exam will be called for a personal interview.
