India: UPSC to revamp exam process amid NEET-UG and Puja Khedkar controversies

India's Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is set to revamp its examination system amid allegations of cheating in the NEET-UG exam for medical college admissions and Puja Khedkar's appointment as a civil servant.

The Commission, responsible for conducting as many as 14 examinations every year, including the prestigious Civil Services Examination (CSE) will use technological solutions such as Aadhar-based fingerprint authentication and facial recognition systems.

UPSC has invited bids from Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to provide the technology required to conduct the exams. Explaining its decision, UPSC said the tech would be used to prevent "cheating, fraud, unfair means and impersonation" during the examinations.

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“The Commission intends to make use of the latest digital technology to match and cross-check the biometric details of the candidates and to monitor various activities of the candidates during the examination to prevent cheating, fraud, unfair means and impersonation,” the tender document said.

UPSC said it will provide the details of exam venues and the number of candidates appearing to the provider of the technology services two to three weeks before the examination for "on-site preparation". Meanwhile, the candidate details (name, roll number, photo) will be provided seven days in advance for fingerprint authentication and facial recognition.

Over a million people applied for CSE 2023 while nearly 600,000 appeared for the examination. Regarded as one of the toughest exams in the world, clearing the CSE opens doors to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and several other high-profile jobs.

Watch |New discrepancies uncovered in IAS Khedkar's official record, additional irregularities surface

UPSC's integrity questioned

UPSC's integrity has come under heavy scrutiny after trainee IAS Puja Khedkar reportedly forged documents to appear for the Civil Services Exam, 12 times. She also managed to fudge her category and disability to garner an easy entry into the top echelons of Indian bureaucracy.

Notably, the changes in the exam process come days after UPSC chairman Manoj Soni resigned from his position citing personal reasons - five years before his tenure was supposed to end.

Media reports citing sources said Soni was not keen on becoming the UPSC chairman and had requested to be relieved. However, his request was not accepted then.

Reports also suggested that Soni wanted to focus more time on "socio-religious activities" and that his resignation was not in any way connected to controversies and allegations surrounding Puja Khedkar.

(With inputs from agencies)