Over 23,000 Candidates Opt for Three Newly Added Centres in UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026; Eases Pressure on existing Centres

Posted On: 21 MAY 2026 11:56AM by PIB Delhi In an effort to decongest examination centres for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has introduced three new examination centres at Bhubaneswar, Kanpur, and Meerut. With the addition of these centres, the total number of centres for the Preliminary Examination has increased from 80 to 83. Nearly 23,000 candidates have applied to these new centres, easing the rush at the adjoining centres for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026. Reflecting on the initiative, UPSC Chairman Dr. Ajay Kumar said, &ldquo;Our objective is to make the examination process more candidate-friendly, accessible, and efficient. The addition of three new centres is aimed at easing congestion and providing greater convenience to aspirants. Further, by ensuring that PwBD candidates are allotted their preferred examination centres, the Commission is actively breaking down geographical and physical barriers to make the UPSC journey truly accessible and inclusive for all.&rdquo; The newly introduced Bhubaneswar centre substantially reduced the burden on Cuttack. The Bhubaneswar centre has received 10,656 applications for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination - 2026. Similarly, the addition of the Kanpur centre helped ease pressure on Lucknow. The newly established Kanpur centre attracted 6,938 applications. In western Uttar Pradesh, the introduction of the Meerut centre benefited candidates from nearby regions and reduced dependence on Ghaziabad. The newly added Meerut centre received 5,902 applications. The Commission has also reaffirmed its commitment to inclusivity and accessibility for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD). Under the revised mechanism, it was ensured that the PwBD candidate, will get the centre of his/her choice, even beyond the capacity of existing centres, by creating additional capacities, if required. As a result, nearly 805 PwBD candidates got the centre of their choice in Delhi area alone. UPSC has received, a total of 8,19,372 applications, this year, for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026. To further strengthen its examination infrastructure, the Commission introduced a dropdown option in the CSP-2026 application form, enabling candidates to indicate their preferred nearby cities. The data collected through this exercise will serve as a survey of candidate preferences and help identify feasible locations for establishing additional examination centres in the future. These initiatives reflect the UPSC’s continued efforts to evolve its processes in line with contemporary requirements, while upholding the highest standards of fairness, transparency, and integrity. ****** NKR/AK/AV (Release ID: 2263588) Visitor Counter : 2761 Read this release in: Gujarati , Urdu , Marathi , हिन्दी , Odia , Tamil UPSC Over 23,000 Candidates Opt for Three Newly Added Centres in UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026; Eases Pressure on existing Centres Posted On: 21 MAY 2026 11:56AM by PIB Delhi In an effort to decongest examination centres for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has introduced three new examination centres at Bhubaneswar, Kanpur, and Meerut. With the addition of these centres, the total number of centres for the Preliminary Examination has increased from 80 to 83. Nearly 23,000 candidates have applied to these new centres, easing the rush at the adjoining centres for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026. Reflecting on the initiative, UPSC Chairman Dr. Ajay Kumar said, &ldquo;Our objective is to make the examination process more candidate-friendly, accessible, and efficient. The addition of three new centres is aimed at easing congestion and providing greater convenience to aspirants. Further, by ensuring that PwBD candidates are allotted their preferred examination centres, the Commission is actively breaking down geographical and physical barriers to make the UPSC journey truly accessible and inclusive for all.&rdquo; The newly introduced Bhubaneswar centre substantially reduced the burden on Cuttack. The Bhubaneswar centre has received 10,656 applications for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination - 2026. Similarly, the addition of the Kanpur centre helped ease pressure on Lucknow. The newly established Kanpur centre attracted 6,938 applications. In western Uttar Pradesh, the introduction of the Meerut centre benefited candidates from nearby regions and reduced dependence on Ghaziabad. The newly added Meerut centre received 5,902 applications. The Commission has also reaffirmed its commitment to inclusivity and accessibility for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD). Under the revised mechanism, it was ensured that the PwBD candidate, will get the centre of his/her choice, even beyond the capacity of existing centres, by creating additional capacities, if required. As a result, nearly 805 PwBD candidates got the centre of their choice in Delhi area alone. UPSC has received, a total of 8,19,372 applications, this year, for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026. To further strengthen its examination infrastructure, the Commission introduced a dropdown option in the CSP-2026 application form, enabling candidates to indicate their preferred nearby cities. The data collected through this exercise will serve as a survey of candidate preferences and help identify feasible locations for establishing additional examination centres in the future. These initiatives reflect the UPSC’s continued efforts to evolve its processes in line with contemporary requirements, while upholding the highest standards of fairness, transparency, and integrity. ****** NKR/AK/AV (Release ID: 2263588) <span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">In an effort to decongest examination centres for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has introduced three new examination centres at Bhubaneswar, Kanpur, and Meerut. With the addition of these centres, the total number of centres for the Preliminary Examination has increased from 80 to 83. Nearly 23,000 candidates have applied to these new centres, easing the rush at the adjoining centres for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm; text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">Reflecting on the initiative, UPSC Chairman Dr. Ajay Kumar said, &ldquo;Our objective is to make the examination process more candidate-friendly, accessible, and efficient. The addition of three new centres is aimed at easing congestion and providing greater convenience to aspirants. Further, by ensuring that PwBD candidates are allotted their preferred examination centres, the Commission is actively breaking down geographical and physical barriers to make the UPSC journey truly accessible and inclusive for all.&rdquo;</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm; text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">The newly introduced Bhubaneswar centre substantially reduced the burden on Cuttack. The Bhubaneswar centre has received 10,656 applications for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination - 2026. Similarly, the addition of the Kanpur centre helped ease pressure on Lucknow. The newly established Kanpur centre attracted 6,938 applications. In western Uttar Pradesh, the introduction of the Meerut centre benefited candidates from nearby regions and reduced dependence on Ghaziabad. The newly added Meerut centre received 5,902 applications.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm; text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">The Commission has also reaffirmed its commitment to inclusivity and accessibility for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD). Under the revised mechanism, it was ensured that the PwBD candidate, will get the centre of his/her choice, even beyond the capacity of existing centres, by creating additional capacities, if required. As a result, nearly 805 PwBD candidates got the centre of their choice in Delhi area alone. </span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm; text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">UPSC has received, a total of 8,19,372 applications, this year, for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2026. To further strengthen its examination infrastructure, the Commission introduced a dropdown option in the CSP-2026 application form, enabling candidates to indicate their preferred nearby cities. The data collected through this exercise will serve as a survey of candidate preferences and help identify feasible locations for establishing additional examination centres in the future.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm; text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">These initiatives reflect the UPSC’s continued efforts to evolve its processes in line with contemporary requirements, while upholding the highest standards of fairness, transparency, and integrity. </span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm; text-align:center"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px">****** </span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0cm; margin-right:0cm; text-align:justify"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><span style="font-size:16px"><strong>NKR/AK/AV</strong></span></span></p> " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); // } else { // //Play the music // playAudio(); // } //} var synth = window.speechSynthesis; function CleanHtml(html) { html = html.replace(/ /gi, ''); return html; } function stripHtml(html) { let tmp = document.createElement("DIV"); tmp.innerHTML = CleanHtml(html); return tmp.textContent || tmp.innerText || ""; } $(document).ready(function () { //for responsive tables $("table").each(function () { if (!$(this).closest(".table-responsive").length) { $(this).wrap(" "); } }); var width = $(window).width(); if (width $(document).ready(function () { var width = $(window).width(); if (width @media print { .sticky-social, .sticky-social_mb, .pull-right, #printPDF { display: none !important; } } .f_vl { padding-right: 30px; font-size: 17px; cursor: pointer; } .log_oo { // width: 20%; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; } .log_oo img { width: 150px; /*width: 100%; height: auto;*/ } .sticky-social_mb { position: fixed; bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 100%; } .social_mb { list-style: none; display: flex; width: 100%; margin-bottom: -8px; } .social_mb a { padding: 8px 0px; font-size: 30px; transition: all 0.8s ease-in-out; width: 20% !important; text-align: center; } .section1 { position: relative; padding: 10px 0px; width: 100%; } .sticky-social { position: fixed; top: 20px; left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; } .social { list-style: none; } .social a li { padding: 8px 12px; font-size: 25px; transition: all 0.8s ease-in-out; } .social a li:hover { margin-right: -30px; box-shadow: 2px 5px 10px grey; } .social a li:hover .fa { margin-left: 20px; } .fb_b { /* background-color: rgb(59, 89, 152);*/ background-color: rgba(65,103,178,255); } .twitter_r { /* background-color: rgb(29, 161, 242);*/ background-color: #000000; } .whatsapp_r { /* background-color: rgb(77, 194, 71);*/ background-color: rgba(13,191,67,255); } .fa-envelope_r { /* background-color: rgb(219, 68, 55);*/ background-color: #e2123d; } .fa-linkedin_r { background-color: rgb(0, 119, 181); } @media only screen and (max-device-width: 767px) { p span img { max-width: 90% !important; height: auto !important; } p img { max-width: 90% !important; height: auto !important; } h2 { font-size: 20px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } h3 { font-size: 18px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } } /* === Film Roll Badge Styling(IFFI2025 countdown) === */ .film-roll-badge { position: absolute; top:82%; right: 20px; width: 230px; height: 70px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 18px, #6e2b8b 18px, #6e2b8b 36px ); border-top: 8px solid #9a2375; border-bottom: 8px solid #9a2375; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); animation: moveFilm 8s linear infinite; z-index: 10; } /* film sprocket holes */ .film-roll-badge::before, .film-roll-badge::after { content: ""; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 10px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px ); left: 0; z-index: 2; } .film-roll-badge::before { top: -4px; } .film-roll-badge::after { bottom: -4px; } .film-roll-inner { position: relative; height: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; animation: flicker 2s infinite ease-in-out; } .countdown-text { font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 700; color: #fff; text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 0 10px #000; white-space: nowrap; } /* === Animations === */ @keyframes moveFilm { 0% { background-position: 0 0; } 100% { background-position: 120px 0; } } @keyframes flicker { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.9; } 25% { opacity: 0.95; } 75% { opacity: 0.85; } } /* === Responsive Adjustments === */ @media (max-width: 1500px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 68%; right: 18px; /* width: 220px; */ height: 65px; font-size: 0.85rem; } .press-section { margin-top: 35px; } } @media (max-width: 992px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 52%; right: 10px; width: 200px; height: 60px; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 56%; right: 10px; width: 124px; height: 55px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.9rem; } } @media (max-width: 576px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 59%; right: 5px; /* width: 160px; */ height: 50px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.85rem; } } const festivalStart = new Date("2025-11-20T00:00:00").getTime(); const festivalEnd = new Date("2025-11-28T23:59:59").getTime(); const countdownElement = document.getElementById("countdown"); const interval = setInterval(() => { const now = new Date().getTime(); // BEFORE FESTIVAL — show days + hours left if (now = festivalStart && now el.style.width = "350px"); clearInterval(interval); } }, 1000); //