STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, who also holds charge of the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), presented in the Rajya Sabha a detailed account of key government initiatives aimed at supporting UPSC aspirants and ensuring effective implementation of reservation policies in Central Government services.
Addressing a question on employment opportunities for unsuccessful UPSC candidates, Dr. Singh spoke about the innovative “Public Disclosure Scheme”, launched to provide alternative career opportunities to civil services aspirants who reach the interview stage but are not finally selected. Under this scheme, recruitment agencies publicly share the data of non-recommended candidates-those who cleared prelims and mains but did not qualify in the interview. This information is accessible to private and public sector employers via the National Career Service (NCS) portal, managed by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Additionally, Dr. Singh highlighted the ‘Pratibha-Setu’ portal, launched by UPSC to enable private companies, PSUs, and other organizations to access and recruit from this pool of highly qualified candidates. Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, over 52,910 candidates appeared for UPSC interviews, out of which 33,950 were not selected-these candidates now stand to benefit from these new platforms.
In response to a separate query, Dr. Singh reaffirmed the Government’s strong commitment to social justice through reservations in government jobs. He outlined the existing reservation quotas 15% for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and 27% for OBCs in direct recruitment, along with 4% reservation for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). In promotions, SCs and STs continue to receive 15% and 7.5% reservations, respectively.
To address backlog vacancies, the Government has taken multiple measures, including constituting In-House Committees, conducting root cause analyses, and launching Special Recruitment Drives.
Ministries are also required to appoint Liaison Officers and establish Special Reservation Cells to monitor and ensure compliance.
Since 2016, approximately 4.8 lakh backlog reserved vacancies have been filled, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to equity and inclusion.
Dr. Singh also informed the House about SANKALP, a digital platform linking pensioners with NGOs for voluntary work. With over 2,000 pensioners, 46 associations, and 16 organizations registered, the platform also facilitates Pre-Retirement Counselling Workshops, helping retirees transition into purposeful post-retirement engagement.
