There is a lot of craze among the youth for government jobs. Especially for the posts of IAS, IPS, IRS and IFS officers, people do a lot of hard work for many years to crack the UPSC exam. These days, Maharashtra cadre trainee IAS Puja Khedkar is making headlines. An investigation has revealed that she passed the UPSC exam by taking advantage of the wrong reservation.
According to reports, Pooja Khedkar appeared for the UPSC exam under the categories of OBC-NCL and Divyang. After her case came to light, many other officers were also investigated. Educator Vikas Divyakirti recently shared his view in an interview on how the game of reservation is played in UPSC, which is currently going viral.
According to Divyakirti, people adopt many tricks to become IAS, IPS, IRS and IFS officers. Many candidates use the loopholes of the UPSC to appear for the exam and become officers.
UPSC Reservation Policy:
Vikas Divyakirti himself is a former IAS officer. According to him, there are many subtleties in OBC and EWS reservations (OBC Reservation Policy in UPSC).
1. According to UPSC rules, OBC creamy layer candidates (parents’ annual income of more than 8 lakhs) are considered general category candidates.
2. Apart from this, candidates whose mother or father is in a Class 1 job are shifted to the OBC creamy layer.
3. Even if both parents are in Group B, they will still be considered general. However, those in Group C and Group D are considered OBCs even if their income is more than Rs 8 lakh.
4. Income from agriculture is not counted in the UPSC reservation policy. Therefore, many civil servants earn income from agriculture.
Economically Weaker Section (EWS) Reservation Policy in UPSC: How can one become an IAS or IPS officer through an EWS reservation?
For those appearing for the UPSC exam under the EWS category, the rule is that the income of their entire family is counted, but only for the last year. There is also no criteria to count the candidate’s income.
Who can get a reservation under EWS?
1. The candidate should not have more than 5 acres of cultivable land.
2. Their house should not be larger than 1000 feet.
3. If the plot is notified, then it should not be more than 100 yards; if it is unnotified, then it should not be more than 200 yards.
4. The family income of the candidate should not be more than Rs 8 lakh. The family includes parents, siblings (up to 18 years of age), a husband or wife, and children (up to 18 years of age).