BENGALURU: Following a letter and detailed proposal from member of Karnataka Policy and Planning Commission S Mohanadass Hegde to the State Government to establish a regional office of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in Bengaluru, Chief Secretary, Dr Shalini Rajneesh has written to Central Government seeking permission for the same.
In the letter addressed to Rachana Shah, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training, Union Ministry of Personnel, PG and Pensions, Shalini wrote, “Establishing a UPSC regional office at Bengaluru aligns with the goals of decentralisation, regional equity and youth empowerment.
"It ensures Karnataka and southern states gain equitable access to UPSC services and opportunities and facilitate administrative efficiency in conducting exams and other processes.” She requested the Centre to initiate a regional office in Bengaluru at the earliest.
Mohandass, also a Congress member, said, “I had written a letter along with a proposal to the State Government requesting them to establish a UPSC office in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 300 crore along with the Centre as a main stakeholder.
It will be helpful for the southern state students to address the North-South disparity in UPSC access, leveraging Bengaluru’s premier academic and administrative ecosystem, enhanced civil services participation from the South and others. I am informed that the State Government is yet to receive a correspondence from the Centre.”
Vinay Kumar GB of Insights IAS coaching centre, “If it happens then it will be the first time in the history of UPSC to have a regional centre. There is also provision in the constitution to establish a regional centre. Besides, it can help us build awareness and culture to prepare for various exams that UPSC conducts, including the coveted civil services.
However, once the office is established, the State as well as the Centre must work towards providing quality coaching and ensure students also take it seriously. Only then, we can have a huge number of students from southern states clearing competitive exams.”