New Delhi: Twenty-three-year-old Amit Verma has been preparing for a government job for the last three years, and the uncertainty around the exams has taken a toll on him. Then, on 28 April, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced one lakh police recruitments would take place in the state this year. It has become a major source of hope.
“The last exam that I had appeared for got leaked and then got cancelled. I was devastated. That’s the state of government exams in our country. But recently the government has been really active, so I am hoping the upcoming exam will be conducted properly,” said Verma.
CM Adityanath announced the move when distributing appointment letters to 936 people selected for the Uttar Pradesh Police Telecommunication Department. In the last three days, examinations were also conducted for the recruitment of 41,000 personnel in UP Home Guards. The recruitment processes for Civil Police, Sub Inspector, Home Guards and other posts have also gained pace.
In Uttar Pradesh, where lakhs compete for a few thousand government posts, a police recruitment drive is both an employment announcement and a political message.
“Capable, competent and self-motivated young people want to become part of the UP Police force, and for this the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board will provide good opportunities,” said Adityanath.
States across the country routinely conduct police recruitment drives, but none at the scale of UP. Bihar put out the call for around 4,000 constable drivers; Haryana had put out a notification in January to fill 5,500 constable positions. Assam was recruiting around 2,000 constables earlier in the year.
Verma had appeared for the constable exam in February 2024, but it was cancelled due to a paper leak. Since then, his biggest fear has not been the exam, but the uncertainty of whether the recruitment process would be completed successfully or not. Last year, nearly 16 lakh candidates reportedly applied for around 4,500 Sub-Inspector posts, reflecting the intense demand for state jobs.
“It is very good for the youth and for the state as well. The police force will get stronger, and the biggest problem of the youth—unemployment—will be addressed,” said Verma, who lives in Gorakhpur.
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Increased capacity
Last year, nearly 16 lakh candidates reportedly applied for around 4,500 Sub-Inspector posts in UP, reflecting the intense demand for state jobs.
On 26 April, passing-out parades of 60,000 police constables were held simultaneously at 112 centres across the state. To recruit on such a large scale, training capacity is crucial.
Adityanath said that in the last nine years, more than 2.20 lakh personnel have been recruited in Uttar Pradesh Police. He added that many states do not even have such total strength. UP has the largest police force in the country.
Twenty-nine-year-old Dilip Verma is one of those 60,000 constables. He was trained in Kushinagar along with 400 others. He said the training process was smooth and claimed the state has now significantly improved its training capacity.
“Earlier, the state did not have the capacity to train so many people. But now, the current government has opened police training centres in the state, and capacity in other institutions has also increased,” said Verma.
He found the sleeping arrangements, food and overall facilities surprisingly adequate.
“We used to get paneer twice a week, poori-sabji as well. The food was fine, and the training was also great,” said Verma, who will now be attached to a police station for three months of field training.
Adityanath also made a note of the improvements when handing over the appointment letters.
He said that prior to 2017, only 3,000 personnel could be trained at a time. But in the past year, 60,244 constables were trained simultaneously in UP centres. “This shows that with clear intent, clear policy and strong will, results can be achieved,” he said.
He added that Uttar Pradesh is the first state to include more than 500 skilled athletes in the police force. As a result, UP Police wins more medals in national and international sports events than other states.
“In 2017, 10 districts did not even have police lines, and many police stations did not have their own buildings. There was a lack of basic facilities and barracks. Today, in 55 districts, high-rise buildings provide barracks and residential facilities for police personnel. Model police stations and new fire stations are being established. SSF, SDRF and three new women PAC battalions have been formed,” said Adityanath.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)