Jayalalithaa urges Prime Minister to postpone Civil Service examinations

Chennai: Stating that students from the state taking up civil service examinations were affected by heavy rains and floods, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to postpone the examinations by two months for "adequate preparations" for them.

"I understand that Union Public Services Commission proposes to conduct Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2015, from December 18 to 23. The devastation caused by the recent floods in Chennai has largely interrupted various services including the supply of electricity", she said.

"Students all over from Tamil Nadu appearing for civil services examinations use Chennai as the main centre for preparation", she said in her letter to Modi. "Their life has been completely disrupted in the last few weeks and they were unable to concentrate and study for the examination", she said.

The "hardship" faced by the students would place the candidates at a "distinct disadvantage" as compared to candidates from other parts of the country, she said.

"As this has been a calamity of severe magnitude affecting a large population, I request you to kindly take up the issue with the Union Public Service Commission and have the Civil Services (Main) examination, 2015, postponed by at least two months", she said.

It would enable the students from Tamil Nadu to appear in the examinations with "adequate preparation" and would place them on level playing field with their counterparts, she said.

She said life was returning to normalcy in many parts of the city and other flood-affected areas as there has been dry weather over the last few days.

Various school and University examinations were already postponed by the Government due to floods, she said.