The Niti Aayog on Wednesday has recommended reducing upper age limit of joining the civil services to 27 years from the present 30 years for general category candidates by 2022-23 in a phased manner.
The government think tank has also prescribed to have one integrated examination for all civil services, reports TOI.
According to the report, the Niti Aayog has recommended creation of a central talent pool of all recruits, which would subsequently allocate candidates by matching their competencies and the job description of the posts.
Currently, there are more than 60 plus separate civil services at central and state levels.
The report quoting sources said currently the average age of recruits for civil services is about 25-and-a-half years and the recommendation goes well with the reality that more than one-third of India’s population is below 35 years.
The Niti Aayog report has also recommended encouraging lateral entry of specialists at higher levels of government, which will provide much needed expertise.
“The key to reform in the civil services is encouraging officers to cultivate specializations based on their education and skills early on in their careers. Wherever possible, longer tenure postings need to be made based on the officers’ expertise. However, it is also necessary to ensure cross-sector mobility for civil servants from areas where they have become surplus to areas of emerging importance,” the report said.