The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has launched an initiative called Pratibha Setu, a portal designed to bridge the gap between qualified but non-recommended candidates of various UPSC examinations and potential employers in the private and public sectors.
The scheme, originally launched in 2018 as the Public Disclosure Scheme (PDS), has now been expanded and rebranded to Pratibha Setu. The aim is to help thousands of candidates who qualify the written stage of UPSC’s examinations but do not make it to the final merit list after the interview round.
UPSC conducts nearly 10 major exams annually, including the Civil Services Examination, recommending about 6,400 candidates for various posts. However, nearly 26,000 candidates who clear the written exams each year remain unplaced. Many of these individuals have strong academic credentials and rank high in their respective categories, but lack conventional work experience due to years spent preparing for the exams.
With the launch of the Pratibha Setu portal, government departments, PSUs, and now private companies can access candidate information including their percentile rankings, educational qualifications, subject specializations, and contact details. The data is only shared for employment-related evaluation and requires prior consent from the candidates.
How the UPSC Pratibha Setu Portal Works
Employers, including registered private firms verified through the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, can log in to the Pratibha Setu portal to search for candidates based on discipline or subject expertise. The portal provides a short biodata of candidates who have opted in, ensuring confidentiality and transparency.
The scheme covers candidates from a wide range of examinations conducted by UPSC, such as:
To ensure effectiveness, the UPSC monitors the hiring process of the candidates listed on the portal. Organisations that download candidate information are regularly contacted for updates. The system allows uploading of appointment letters, enabling the Commission to track placements and evaluate success rates.
The portal is intended solely for employment purposes, and employers accessing the database are expected to comply with strict confidentiality guidelines.
While the Pratibha Setu initiative has seen limited success in earlier years with mostly public-sector participation, the inclusion of private sector companies is expected to increase the visibility and employability of deserving candidates who narrowly missed out on government service.
As of now, detailed data on placements is not publicly available. However, initial feedback suggests an improved response since the private sector was included in the scheme.
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