UPSC row: English marks won't be considered for gradation or merit, says Centre

The government on Monday said that English marks will not be included for gradation or merit in the Union Public Service Commission civil services exam in India.

Moreover, one more attempt will be allowed in 2015 for Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) aspirants who appeared for the exam in 2011.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for an emergency meeting on the UPSC row following his return from Nepal. Moreover, the opposition on Monday had stepped up attack on the government over the UPSC exam row, serving a privilege notice in the Rajya Sabha and forcing adjournment of the House demanding a definite time-frame to resolve the issue.

This move comes as a relief to the aspirants for the examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), who have been demanding that CSAT be scrapped as they term it discriminatory to those from Hindi-speaking states as well as humanities students.

The CSAT paper in the UPSC preliminary exam carries questions on comprehension, interpersonal skills including communication skills, logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision-making and problem-solving, general mental ability, basic numeracy and English language comprehension skills (of Class 10 level).

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)