KL Report
SRINAGAR
To encourage more and more youth of the State to choose Civil Services as a career option and help them to achieve success in cracking the prestigious competitive tests, Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khanday on Friday, said that the government is laying strong edifice for enthusiastic students to go for national level examinations after obtaining proper coaching and guidance from the experts of the state as well as other parts of the country.
Khandey was addressing a gathering of students, academicians and administrators after inaugurating a one day orientation program at SKICC for aspirants of All India Services (IAS,IPS,IFS etc) organized by ASCENT GROUP, an umbrella organization for human capital development in J&K.
The seminar-cum-workshop titled “How to Cope with the Changes in the Pattern of Civil Services (UPSC) Examination?”, saw a large number of enthusiastic boys and girls participating and interacting with academicians and experts as well as icons from J&K who have already cracked Civil Services including Civil Service Topper Dr Shah Faisal.
A social enterprise, ASCENT Group, was set up by former civil servant, Mohammad Shafi Pandit, who is the first Muslim from J&K State to join IAS in 1969 followed by Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khanday who joined the service in 1978.
Appreciating the initiative Chief Secretary termed the effort put in by ASCENT Group as effective and bearing fruit. “Earlier very few students would appear as it was not looked as a career option resulting in under representation of youth from J&K at National level services” he said adding that today we see greater participation and selection of enthusiastic youth who are eager to join and contribute in the Governance system.
“Best Engineers, Doctors and other professionals are asset of healthy society but it is equally important that hard working youth with fertile brain should get adequate representation in civil services to look after policy formulation for the State.” he maintained.
Chief Secretary asked the students to make career choices during their school and college life and dedicate themselves in excelling in the area of their choice.” It is only when you make a career choice early enough that you can really excel in the field of your choice. It should not be by accident or circumstances driven that you end up choosing a field but by choice” he emphasized.
While wishing the aspirants good future, Chief Secretary called upon them to emulate Dr Shah Faisal and others and take their example as a role model while striving for excellence in cracking Civil Services.
the ‘icons’ who were there to interact with ‘aspiring’ candidates apparently did not oblige chairperson under whose instructions they were to briefly tell the audience their feelings after passing the much hyped ‘Civil’ Services Exams in just” 2 and half minutes” keeping in view the paucity of time!