New Delhi: The government on Thursday made English optional for those seeking to get into the Indian Administrative Service, and said aspirants will be able to write the exam in a regional language also.
"A candidate will be allowed to use any one of the regional languages under Schedule 8 of the Constitution or English as the medium of writing the exam," Minister of State for Personnel and Training V Narayanasamy said, reading out a statement in the Lok Sabha.
This was the system before a March 5 notification of the Union Public Service Commission made English compulsory for candidates taking the Civil Services Main Examination, 2013.
Following an uproar in the Lok Sabha over the issue on March 15, the minister had assured the house that he would look into the matter.
"The government has reviewed the concerns raised," Narayanasamy said.
Further, the English component of 100 marks from the essay paper will also be dropped. Status quo ante of two qualifying papers of 300 marks each in any modern Indian language and in English shall be restored, the minister said.
The essay paper will now be of 250 marks, to be written in a medium of the candidate`s choice, the statement said.
IANS
