UPSC postpones Civil Services Prelims 2021 as COVID-19 cases rise; exams to be held on 10 October

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) postponed the civil services preliminary examination 2021 to 10 October amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. The preliminary exam was scheduled to be conducted in June. An official notification issued by the commission states, “Due to the prevailing conditions caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Union Public Service Commission has deferred the civil services (preliminary) examination, 2021, which was scheduled to be held on 27th June, 2021. Now, this examination will be held on 10 October, 2021”. The civil services examination is conducted for the selection of officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and various other posts. The recruitment process is held in three stages - preliminary, main and interview round. Last year, amid the pandemic, the exam was postponed from 31 May to 4 October. The main written exam was conducted while the interview round was put on hold due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. This year as well, the commission has deferred various exams due to the second wave of coronavirus, including the recruitment process for the position of principal in the Directorate of Education, Education Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, and the Combined Medical Services (CMS) examination 2021.