The West Bengal government has announced a major change in recruitment rules by raising the upper age limit for state government jobs by five years. The new limits apply to Group A, B, C, and D posts recruited through the West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC) and came into effect on 11 May following a formal notification.
Under the revised norms, the maximum age for Group A posts is now 41 years, for Group B posts 44 years, and for Group C and D posts 45 years. Where posts already have a higher age ceiling, those existing limits will continue. For appointments made outside the WBPSC—such as through statutory bodies, government companies, and local authorities—the upper age limit has been fixed uniformly at 45 years.
The first recruitment to benefit from this change is the ongoing selection of assistant professors in government aided degree colleges. The College Service Commission, being a statutory body, will now apply the revised limit of 45 years instead of the earlier 40. To ensure newly eligible candidates can apply, the deadline for applications has been extended by one month.
Officials said the decision fulfils a cabinet assurance and will substantially widen access to public employment, especially for aspirants who had narrowly missed the earlier cut off. Existing relaxations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward (SC/ST/OBC) classes, and differently abled candidates will remain unchanged.
This move is expected to significantly expand opportunities for job seekers across the state.