Former Gujarat Public Service Commission chief Dinesh Dasa takes oath as UPSC member

Former Gujarat Public Service Commission chief Dinesh Dasa on Friday took oath as UPSC member, an official statement said.

He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by UPSC chairman Manoj Soni.

Dasa holds a Ph.D. in forest laws and sustainable development from Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar. He has been the chairman of the Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) from February 2016 to January 2022.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts civil services examination to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others, is headed by a chairman and it can have a maximum of 10 members.

With Dasa’s appointment, there exists a vacancy of four members.

A UPSC member is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age.

During Dasa’s tenure as the chief of GPSC, the Commission processed 827 advertisements to recruit 26,116 officers in which total 62 lakh candidates were registered, said the statement issued by the UPSC.

Dasa was chairman, standing committee of all-India public service commissions (PSCs) from December 2020 to January 2022.

The standing committee is a nine-member body constituted by the UPSC chairman in the national conference every year and it represents all 29 state PSCs to coordinate with UPSC on various issues.

Dasa was also chairman, Drafting Committee to prepare model syllabus and exam pattern for civil service exams across the states, the statement said.