Don't insist on candidate's identity certificate: govt to UPSC

With an aim to check delay in appointment of candidates for various government posts, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has been asked not to insist on an identity certificate.
A large number of officers are appointed in central government through a selection process conducted by recruiting agencies like UPSC.
Once the list of successful candidates are recommended by these agencies, the appointing authorities undertake verification of the character and antecedents of the candidates for which the recommended candidates have to fill up an attestation form on which the verification is carried out.
At present, the attestation form includes identity certificate.

The Commission has been advised not to insist on an identity certificate and to dispense with this provision in future, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.
In a related development, the Centre has decided to change its policy of antecedents verification and character check done prior to appointment in government services by relying on self-declaration.

A large numbers of Group A, B, C and D officials are appointed in government of India through a selection process conducted by the UPSC, Staff Selection Commission and other recruiting agencies.
"It is proposed that as a general policy, the police verification will be carried out but the issue of appointment letters need not be withheld pending such police verification. The appointing authorities will issue provisional appointment letters after obtaining a self declaration from the candidate," the DOPT said in a policy announced recently.

This assumes importance as the government has observed shortcomings in the process of police verification which often takes two to six months. There have been informal feedbacks about undue gratification being demanded at the lower bureaucratic level to obtain police verification.