Over 23,000 Candidates Opt for Three Newly Added Centres in UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026

📌 Summary:

• The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) introduced three new examination centres — at Bhubaneswar, Kanpur and Meerut — for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026, raising the total from 80 to 83 centres
• Nearly 23,000 candidates opted for the new centres, easing congestion at adjoining centres
• Centre-wise applications: Bhubaneswar received 10,656 (reducing the burden on Cuttack); Kanpur received 6,938 (easing Lucknow); Meerut received 5,902 (reducing dependence on Ghaziabad)
• UPSC Chairman Dr. Ajay Kumar said the objective is a more candidate-friendly, accessible and efficient examination process
• For Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD), the revised mechanism ensures candidates get their preferred centre — even beyond existing capacity, by creating additional capacity; nearly 805 PwBD candidates got their choice in the Delhi area alone
• UPSC received a total of 8,19,372 applications for CSP-2026; a new dropdown for preferred nearby cities will serve as a survey to identify locations for future centres

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 (Polity — UPSC as a constitutional body; Governance — accessibility, inclusivity and transparency in public examinations).

📝 Prelims Facts:

• UPSC is a constitutional body established under Article 315 of the Constitution
• Three new CSP-2026 centres: Bhubaneswar, Kanpur and Meerut; total centres rose from 80 to 83
• Total applications for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026: 8,19,372
• UPSC Chairman: Dr. Ajay Kumar; PwBD = Persons with Benchmark Disabilities

🔑 Key Term: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) — the central constitutional body (Article 315) responsible for recruitment to the All India Services and central services through competitive examinations.