## Notes from 21 March 2026 [[2026-03-20|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2026-03-22|Next note →]] Reading this [post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/maneesh-mittal-0ba920176_as-a-mentor-for-future-civil-servants-this-activity-7333724445854846976-blNZ/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAABJfvIUBLMnEUSA-EbpMEBKTnb3K9do__SQ) and [watching this video interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd_WuPsxIiI), I got to know a reform proposal dubbed **"UPSC 2.0"** by former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, [[Duvvuri Subbarao]], which focuses on modernizing the Indian civil service recruitment system. For those outside India, the **UPSC** (Union Public Service Commission) examination is the gateway to the country's bureaucratic elite corps, such as the IAS (Indian Administrative Service). The exam is globally known as one of the most difficult and competitive: annually, over 1 million candidates compete for approximately 1,000 positions, leading to a preparation cycle that can last over a decade. Subbarao identifies what he calls a **"colossal waste of productive years"** and suggests structural changes to break the inertia of the current model: - **Restricting the base (Youth Entry):** He proposes reducing the maximum number of attempts to just three (currently six for the general category) and lowering the age limit from 32 to 27. The goal is to combat the **"sunk cost fallacy"** that keeps young talent trapped in coaching centers for years and to reduce selection errors where "test-taking technique" outweighs actual merit or administrative capacity. - **Structured lateral recruitment (Mid-Career Entry):** An innovative proposal is to create a permanent channel for professionals aged 40 to 42 to enter the civil service through an annual competitive test. Unlike current ad hoc hiring, this would inject real-world experience (finance, law, technology) into a bureaucracy that often recruits youth straight from university, making the government "more relevant, useful, and caring". France's _troisième concours_ operates on similar logic, recruiting experienced professionals (typically 40+) with at least eight years of private sector or public service experience into the ENA/INSP pathway. The attempt limitations Subbarao proposes also mirror restrictions in several European systems—France limits _concours_ attempts to three for certain tracks — designed to prevent the perpetual exam-taker phenomenon that India currently experiences at scale.