Srinagar: The IAS/ Civil Services Reserve List is not the Waiting List, but is a part of an annual routine procedure.
This was stated by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also Incharge DoPT, when he was asked by the media to elaborate on the reply given by him in Rajya Sabha today in response to a question from a Congress member.
The Reserve List released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after the declaration of Civil Services Examination (CSE) is not the Waiting List, explained Dr Jitendra Singh. Pertinent to mention that the examination is conducted by the UPSC annually to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service and other All India Services .
Dr Jitendra Singh further explained that this arrangement of issuing the Reserve List was started in 2003. “At one point of time there was a writ petition in the Supreme Court questioning this arrangement. The apex court had upheld it in a judgement of 2010,” he said.
For eventually declaring the result of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) after conclusion of the examination process and recommending candidates for appointment to various services, the UPSC takes into account the total number of vacancies in all categories, the Minister stated in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
“In the first instance, the result is declared by the Commission after reducing it by the number of candidates belonging to the various categories, including SC, ST, OBC etc, who acquire the merit at or above the fixed general qualifying standard without availing themselves of any concession or relaxation in the eligibility or selection criteria,” Dr Jitendra Singh said.
Since CSE-2002, along with the candidates recommended in the first instance, the Commission further maintains a confidential consolidated reserve list that includes candidates from general and reserved categories ranking in order of merit below the last recommended candidate under each category, he said.
“After allocation of services to the candidates recommended in the first instance, more candidates are subsequently recommended from the consolidated reserve list by the UPSC, as per the requisition in this regard sent from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT),” the Minister said. The process, as applicable since CSE-2002 and as described above, has been followed in case of the CSE-2019 also, he said.