Don't reveal caste during interview, Delhi Minister urges UPSC
Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Jul, 2021 11:48 AM
Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Friday urged the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) that the interview board should not be made aware about the caste of candidates before it.
His suggestion came amid allegations of caste-based discrimination in UPSC interviews.
In his letter to UPSC Chairman Pradeep Kumar Joshi, Gautam said interviewees should be chosen randomly, instead of "clubbing reserved and general category candidates separately".
"Many candidates have alleged that there is a systematic discrimination in awarding the marks of interview to reserved category candidates.
"Further, they have suggested that the possibility of this discrimination can be eliminated if the interview board members are not made aware of the caste of the candidate and the interviewees are chosen randomly instead of clubbing reserved and general category candidates separately," Gautam said in his letter.
"I believe these suggestions have merit and can easily be acted upon by the UPSC. Such action will ensure a level playing field in the interview for all candidates," he said.
The minister also asked the UPSC to apprise him about the action taken to prevent discrimination against reserved category candidates during the interview process.
After attending the recent all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, two former chief ministers of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti stood miles apart.
A delegation of Sikh leaders on Tuesday met Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy over the recent incident of forcible religious conversion of two Sikh girls in the Kashmir valley and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday favoured the need to start breeding crocodiles in the state's rivers, especially the Beas and the Sutlej, as they were found in abundance six decades ago.
Facing massive statewide agitation by farmers over power outages, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday issued directions to ensure eight-hour uninterrupted power supply and to purchase deficient power from outside the state at any cost to prevent any supply disruption in the ongoing sowing season.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, Kamal Pant, told reporters that the police teams were forced to open fire after firing warning shots in the air as the accused persons resisted the search teams' efforts to nab them.
