Fake news: UPSC Exam 2020 has not been cancelled

New Delhi, Apr 17: A Marathi television channel has claimed that the examinations held by the UPSC Exam 2020 have been called off in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

This has led to panic with several candidates frantically making calls to check if this information is true. This is completely baseless and there is no such decision taken by the government to this effect.

A special meeting of the Commission was held on April 15, 2020, to review the situation arising out of the Corona Virus pandemic.

In view of the prevailing lockdown restrictions, including social distancing norms, it was decided that dates for all interviews, Examinations and Recruitment Boards, where candidates and advisers are required to travel from all parts of the country, will be reviewed from time to time.

A decision on fresh dates for the remaining Civil Services-2019 Personality Tests will be taken after May 3, 2020, following the second phase of the lockdown. Dates for the Civil Services-2020 (Prelim), Engineering Services (Main) and the Geologist Services (Main) Examinations had already been announced.

Any rescheduling in these examinations, if necessitated by the evolving situation, will be notified on the website of the UPSC. Deferment notices have already been posted for the Combined Medical Services Examination, the Indian Economic Service and the Indian Statistical Service Examination 2020. Dates for the CAPF Exam 2020 will also be notified on the UPSC website. The National Defence Academy(NDA-I) Examination has already been postponed till further intimation. A decision on the NDA -II Examination will be posted on June 10, 2020, the scheduled date for its notification.

Any other decision of the Commission in respect of all the Examinations, Interviews and Recruitment Boards will be promptly made available on the Commission's website.

The Commission reviewed the harm caused to the national economy by the coronavirus pandemic. Recognising the need to conserve financial resources at the national level, the Chairman and Members of the Union Public Service Commission have decided to voluntarily forego 30 per cent of the basic pay received by them from the Commission for a period of one year, with effect from April 2020.