[Results] Prelims 2020 Over - Gearing for 2021
Because of the corona virus issue? If it does not happen then worst affected will be people whose interview is stuck, around 600-700 such people I think are yet to appear for their interview.
@neyawn sir and others, what is your take?
This is the official Thread for discussion of Prelims Postponement, Please do not create new threads for the same.
Forumite,
I see a lot of people here making abstract reasoning of economy and Keynesian Multipliers and UPSC as the God of Constitutional Bodies and what not. Your reasoning is well accepted. Now let me also let you in from a different perspective: I work as a Under-Secretary to a certain North Indian State Government.
As on date, the governments only and only care about preventing corona spread. Everything else, every government business is on hold. We don't want to take chances of any sort with this disease. Hence the great degree of restrictions everywhere.
Economy is very important. One person above said we will generate something in the ball park of 10 crore or something by UPSC Preliminary. May be. But what is 10 crore in the scheme of things? An average block has a Rural Development Budget that exceeds that amount significantly. How many blocks are there in India? So 10 crore is not an amount that even registers in the scheme of things.
The only basis of exam postponement decision is whether students can appear on 31st and whether there were disruptions in run up to exams. As I write this there are people who can't take leaves because emergency duty. There are people whose notes are in different cities. There are people who have to worry about their meals. Not everyone can afford a 2000 rupee a month Broadband connection while living in ORN paying rent equal to1/3rd of my monthly salary! These are real problems of real people. Someone has to consider them! But assume that UPSC is a heartless organization run by people who dont care or know these things. (I say assume because the people in UPSC are some of the best officers India has seen)
The real reasons so to say will be these:
By May end, the Country will just be emerging from the infection spread. A large event such as Preliminary will be very hazardous at that point. Statistically, we will be at the similar level as at the start of the infection. We dont want to kickstart a second wave as say Hongkong/ Sinagapore did. The point is why would I do risk infections to 4/5 lakh persons who will give the exam? Sure the exam timetable will get topsy turvy. But this is an un-usual year. So adaptations have to be made accordingly by everyone including government including UPSC.
Remember also that while the govt response has been great it is not very precise. in the area of my my current jurisdiction, despite no cases since the start, just 3 days ago we got 8 cases out of thin air! How? No one know. No travel history or contact with previously positive persons. So we need to allow sufficient buffer before we become assured that this corona has died out!
If it were left to me to take a decision on this exam, I would like to postpone the exam indefinitely until I assess things somewhere around 31srth May give or take 3 days (it will be 28 days since 3rd May). Then, if all is okay, hold the exam around 21st (+/- one week) June at the earliest, if the cases are not yet rising.
PS 1: I am writing this to also so that those of you who are in service currently and have been unable to take leave to kindly appeal to the UPSC and DopT via Email to consider the present situation.
PS 2: Please do not get complacent and say that a government official is saying this so postpone will definitely happen. No, that decision will be taken by UPSC on 3rd MAy 2020. So until then keep studying and UPSC will take the final call.
When we start to deify people/organisations, rationality takes a hit. That is certainly what is happening here. UPSC is an organisation, a great one, but Just an organisation in the larger scheme of things. The world is going through unprecedented times.
Saving lives is the primary focus with reviving the economy a close second. But the latter cannot be done at the cost of the former as in the long run results will be adverse on both fronts. An exam will not be used to spur the economy in such circumstances as the risk is too big and the reward is too little. 5-6 lakh students from myriad backgrounds come forward to take this exam with Min. 100 at each centre. Last time during my Prelims, Lucknow centre, I knew 5-6 guys, each from a separate district. Some from the most backward districts in UP. After the exam, they took an auto to the nearest railway/bus/metro station(some had to change conveyance once or twice to reach their respective stations) and then proceeded home from there. It will be a nightmare to trace and quarantine even if 1 centre comes under suspicion. Plus, it is not like the steel frame will collapse if the next batch of officers goes 3 months late.
2-3 days ago, UPSC deferred the CAPF notification until further notice. The exam was supposed to be held on 9th August. That is the 3rd notification deferred in the last month. My reasoning says that UPSC will come with a new calendar where exams will be announced August onwards.
When we start to deify people/organisations, rationality takes a hit. That is certainly what is happening here. UPSC is an organisation, a great one, but Just an organisation in the larger scheme of things. The world is going through unprecedented times.
Saving lives is the primary focus with reviving the economy a close second. But the latter cannot be done at the cost of the former as in the long run results will be adverse on both fronts. An exam will not be used to spur the economy in such circumstances as the risk is too big and the reward is too little. 5-6 lakh students from myriad backgrounds come forward to take this exam with Min. 100 at each centre. Last time during my Prelims, Lucknow centre, I knew 5-6 guys, each from a separate district. Some from the most backward districts in UP. After the exam, they took an auto to the nearest railway/bus/metro station(some had to change conveyance once or twice to reach their respective stations) and then proceeded home from there. It will be a nightmare to trace and quarantine even if 1 centre comes under suspicion. Plus, it is not like the steel frame will collapse if the next batch of officers goes 3 months late.
2-3 days ago, UPSC deferred the CAPF notification until further notice. The exam was supposed to be held on 9th August. That is the 3rd notification deferred in the last month. My reasoning says that UPSC will come with a new calendar where exams will be announced August onwards.
2-3 days ago, UPSC deferred the CAPF notification until further notice.
upsc conducts several exams. cse is the priority. i think it will finalise cse dates first before other exams.
Devanapiyam,
So the UPSC comes out with notification on 15th April to say that Prelims are not postponed yet. After that we see the Union Minister coming on Live Television and saying that Prelims have been deferred. This is just creating more confusion and not clarifying anything. My personal impression is that the Government and the UPSC have handled this very poorly.
HotBloodPrince,
Hey!
Just wanted to know if the public fund we talk about in context of Core Investment Companies-CICs (As a source of funding) is the same as the Public Fund defined in Article 266?
Also, can someone differentiate between what a Public Fund and a Public Deposit is? (Apparently CICs can only accept public funds, not public deposits. I can't understand why!)
Thanks :)
@Mindgame Yes. I did see that. Couldn't find a proper definition though. Thanks for your time!
Just realised put it on the wrong thread. Sorry.
I am no knight. Do not call me Sir|Philosophy behind ForumIAS
Osho,Chanakya
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