Chief minister Nitish Kumar and Union Public Service Commission chairman DP Agrawal at the conference in Patna on Friday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has suggested the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to introduce aptitude test in the mains for aspirants of the civil services examinations to strengthen the country’s democratic system.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the 15th Conference of Chairpersons of State Public Service Commissions in Patna on Friday, Nitish said the aptitude test would help the commission select only those persons who were willing to become public servants in the true sense of the term.

He expressed surprise over several IITians aspiring to become civil servants.

“This is the age of specialisation and only those who have interest in serving the people should opt for such examinations. After all, they have to serve the people and it should reflect in their behaviour,” he added.

Taking a dig at the recent trend of people joining politics, Nitish said it was not a profession as being viewed by several people. “Politics is meant for those who want to sacrifice their personal interests for the sake of the people and a lot more,” he said.

Nitish also advocated the enhancement of the retirement age of chairpersons as well as members of the public service commissions. “Most of the time the state government has to face difficulty in the selection of chairperson and commission members due to this,” he added.

He said the age of their superannuation should be increased from 62 to 65 years.

This would help them to serve for a longer period and also enthuse them to perform better.

“When this system has been introduced for the teachers of the universities, why should not the same be adopted for chairpersons and members of public service commissions?” he asked.

UPSC chairman D.P. Agrawal said: “The selection process of civil servants has undergone a sea change in recent times to meet new challenges. Rapid development in science and technology, especially information technology, has made the work environment more challenging for a civil servant.”

Elaborating further, Agrawal said: “The UPSC, in order to keep pace with the changing expectations from the people, reviewed on regular basis the scheme and syllabi of its various examinations on the advice on different expert committees set up by it from time to time.”