New Delhi (27.07.2024): Amidst discussions surrounding the case of trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, the Centre provided data in Parliament regarding selection of candidates from reserved categories for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) over the last five years.

In the last five years, a total of 1,195 candidates from SC, ST, and OBC categories were appointed to IAS, IPS, and IFS services. This breakdown includes 233 officers in 2018, 231 in 2019, 223 in 2020, 250 in 2021, and 258 in 2022. Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh clarified that recruitment process for these services adheres to the rules set by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). As per the current reservation policy, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) receive 15%, 7.5%, and 27% reservations, respectively, in the UPSC civil services.

The data reveals that in 2018, 54 IAS, 40 IPS, and 40 IFS officers were appointed under the OBC quota. The same year saw the recruitment of 29 IAS, 23 IPS, and 16 IFS officers from the SC category, while 14 IAS, 9 IPS, and 8 IFS officers were selected from the ST category. In 2019, the numbers rose to 103 IAS, 75 IPS, and 53 IFS officers from the reserved categories. This continued with 99 IAS, 74 IPS, and 50 IFS officers appointed in 2020. In 2021, there were 97 IAS, 99 IPS, and 54 IFS officers selected from the SC, ST, and OBC categories. The most recent data from 2022 shows that 100 IAS, 94 IPS, and 64 IFS officers were selected under these reserved categories.