Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday announced the setting up of a separate IAS and civil services examination centre at Leh in the union territory of Ladakh.
Dr Jitendra Singh, who is the minister in charge of the department of personnel and training besides other portfolios, made the announcement after the Lt Governor of Ladakh RK Mathur called on him.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will, from this year, have an Examination Centre at Leh, which will operate for the first time for the civil services (Preliminary) examination 2021, scheduled to be held on 10 October this year. This will address a long pending demand of the youth from the Ladakh region whose grievance was that they found it difficult to reach examination centres in other parts of the country because of the constraints of affordability of airfare and uncertain weather conditions.
The minister recalled that about five years ago, the demand for a UPSC examination centre had been taken up by the department, but it could not be carried further. However, now since Ladakh has been given the status of a separate UT, it was considered in the fitness of things to open an exclusive and self-reliant facility for the convenience of the IAS/civil services aspirants from the region, which has, in the past gifted some of the finest IAS officers to the country.
In another major decision, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), affiliated with DoPT, is conducting computer-based examinations for selection to Group ‘B’ and ‘C’ posts of the UT of Ladakh. This arrangement, he said, will streamline free and fair selection on merit for Group-’B’ and Group-’C’ posts in the Government departments.
The LG also sought an adequate number of IAS officers in Ladakh.