24L of 48L aspirants appear for 60K posts
The exercise went off peacefully on the first day amid intense vigilance that led to the nabbing of 58 people from 15 districts
THE EXAM WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO DAYS AFTER THE UPPRPB RECEIVED A WHOPPING 48.17 LAKH APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING 15 LAKH FEMALE CANDIDATES, FROM 11 STATES
LUCKNOW: Two-day Uttar Pradesh’s biggest recruitment exam in recent times for the posts of 60,244 police constables got underway at 2,385 centres across state’s 75 districts on Saturday amid intense vigilance that led to arrest of 58 people from 15 districts, said senior police officials here.
Over 48 lakh candidates are to appear in the exam that the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB) is conducting on Saturday and Sunday. The exam was divided into two days after the UPPRPB received a whopping 48.17 lakh applications, including 15 lakh female candidates, from 11 states.
Of them, 42 lakh candidates are from Uttar Pradesh and six lakh from other states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. Over 12.04 lakh candidates each appeared in two shifts on Saturday. It means a total of 24.08 lakh aspirants appeared on the first day and same number of them are to appear in exams in two shifts on Sunday.
Earlier in 2019, recruitment exam for over 49,568 posts of civil and armed police personnel was conducted in the state in which around 22.76 lakh aspirants had participated. As of now, the state police have the strength of around 3.15 lakh personnel, including civil and armed police wings.
Various arrangements and enough security have been made by the state police. Public transport centres, including bus stands, railway stations and auto-tempo stands, remained abuzz with the activities due to many aspirants out on roads to reach and return from their respective exam centres.
A similar situation is likely even on Sunday. The state police agencies were alert and vigilant since Friday to avert any attempt to compromise the exam through paper leak and arranging solvers, duping aspirants on the pretext of paper leak.
“As many as 58 people were arrested from across the state in the last two days (on Friday and Saturday),” said state’s director general of police (DGP) Prashant Kumar.
The DGP himself went on round at different examination centres in Lucknow while other senior police officials were on round in all 75 districts to maintain law and order and ensure free and fair recruitment exam.
Kumar said some people tried to spread paper leak rumours following which a group of people was arrested in Jaunpur while some impersonators were nabbed from different districts.
As per the DGP, the candidates were well informed in advance that no electronic gadgets were allowed inside the examination centres. He said multiple methods were adopted by police to ensure the integrity of the examination.
They included face recognition, biometric verification, Aadhaar authentication and use of jammers to block usage of any mobile phones, Bluetooth devices and internet.
Earlier in a government press note, the state officials on Friday said, “Entry to candidates at centres will be allowed only after physical frisking, frisking by metal detectors (HHMD), biometric finger scanning and facial recognition. In case facial recognition is not successful, arrangements have been made to use biometrics. In case of doubt in facial recognition, Aadhaar authentication of the candidate will be done.”
The officials further said various administrative and police officers and employees had been deployed for the examination. “At the district level, district magistrates will function as district supervisors (magistrates), overseeing various duties such as managing exam centres, coordinating sector magistrates and deploying static magistrates among other administrative tasks,” said UPPRPB DG/chairperson Renuka Mishra.
She said static magistrates have been deployed at every exam centre and there will be police officers ranging from deputy superintendent of police to sub inspector as centre supervisors based on the number of candidates at each centre.
“To ensure the integrity of the examination, 50 percent of the personnel appointed at the centre have been appointed by the DMs and the remaining by centre administrators (principals),” she added. Around 20 percent of these posts are for reserved for women candidates as per the reservation policy. So, as many as 12,049 women and 48,195 men will be recruited.