Amid incidents and reports of cheating in examinations, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has invited tenders for the latest digital biometric technologies to strengthen measures against impersonation, unfair practice and fraud.
The development comes after the UPSC, a constitutional body in India that conducts direct recruitment of officers to the All India Services and the Central Civil Services through examinations, found that trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar allegedly faked her identity to appear in civil services exam.
Khedkar was issued a show cause notice by the UPSC for cancellation her appointment.
According to reports, she fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit under the examination rules by faking her identity and changing her father and mother’s name.
Khedkar had also changed her photograph, signature, email ID, mobile number and address, said the UPSC.
In a calendar year, UPSC conducts 14 major examinations and a number of recruitment tests and interviews for induction to Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ posts in the central government.
The UPSC said in an official statement that it attaches great importance to the conduct of its examinations in a free, fair and impartial manner.
To uphold these standards, it plans to use the latest digital technology to match and cross-check candidates’ biometric details and monitor activities during exams, aiming to prevent cheating, fraud, unfair practices, and impersonation.
The UPSC plans to enhance exam security by introducing Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication or digital fingerprint capturing, facial recognition for candidates, use QR code scanning for e-admit cards, live AI-based CCTV surveillance during exams.
The commission invited the tender from Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) on July 18, 2024.
However, it has not specified whether these measures will be implemented for the upcoming exams.
It may, at its discretion, choose to use any, all, or a combination of these services, either partially or fully, during its exams, the statement said.
