CM Stalin requests PM Modi to grant extra attempt, age relaxation to Civil Service aspirants affected by Covid-19

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 7 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting to consider the demand of the Civil Service aspirants and to grant an extra attempt with corresponding age relaxation to all aspirants who exhausted their last attempts due to Covid-19 pandemic.
In a letter to PM Modi, the Chief Minister said, "I write this to bring to your kind notice a genuine request received from the aspirants for the Civil Service Examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. Aspirants of various recruitment exams conducted by the Union Government including the Civil Service Examinations who had exhausted their last attempts due to the Covid-19 pandemic, have been requesting for the past two years to extend the age limit for attending the examination as a one-time measure."
Stalin said that the Parliament Standing Committee has also recommended to consider sympathetically the demand of the Civil Service aspirants and to grant an extra attempt with corresponding age relaxation to all aspirants.
"In this regard, the Apex Court has also advised in various cases [W.P (Civil) No.1012/2020, 1410/2020, 434/2021, 92/2022] to take a lenient view in granting an extra attempt under Regulation 4 of the Indian Administrative Service Regulations, 1955," he said.
He further said that more than 150 Members of Parliament across various parties have supported the cause of the aspirants.
The Chief Minister pointed out that Tamil Nadu has issued orders to raise the age limit by two years for the aspirants for State Service examinations taking into account the effects of a pandemic.
"Further, in this connection, I wish to point out that in Tamil Nadu, orders have been issued in G.O.Ms.No.91, Human Resources Management (S) Department, dated 13.09.2021 raising the age limit by two years for the aspirants for State Service examinations taking into account the effects of the pandemic," he said.
Stalin said that the Central Government has also recently granted a relaxation of 3 years beyond the respective prescribed upper age limit for all categories of the candidates as a one-time measure for the recruitment of Constable (General Duty) in Central Armed Police Forces Examinations, 2022 conducted by the Staff Selection Commission.
"This is a one-time relaxation and it will not cause any monetary burden to the exchequer but at the same time open a huge opportunity to thousands of youth who aspire to join the Civil Service. Therefore, I appeal to you to consider this favourably, and do the needful in granting an extra attempt by invoking Regulation 4 of the Indian Administrative Service Regulations, 1955 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic," he added. (ANI)