Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday attacked previous governments over alleged irregularities, nepotism and corruption in recruitment, saying those who had "turned Uttar Pradesh into a BIMARU state" had no right to question the present government's record.
Addressing an appointment letter distribution programme in Lucknow, Adityanath said the recruitment process before 2017 had been marred by recommendations, financial transactions, paper leaks and discrimination, while asserting that his government had made recruitment transparent and merit-based.
"Those who, through their inaction and inability, turned Uttar Pradesh into a BIMARU state have no right to speak about the UP Police or the administration of Uttar Pradesh," he said.
Adityanath targets previous governments over recruitment
He alleged that before 2017, even people who had not applied for jobs were given appointment letters while eligible candidates were denied selection.
Adityanath highlighted how his government reformed the recruitment system after 2017 and abolished interviews for Group C and D posts to prevent discrimination at the final stage of selection.
He mentioned that over 9.5 lakh youths had been given opportunities to serve in the state government since 2017 and announced that another one lakh youths would receive government appointment letters in the next six months.
The chief minister was speaking at a programme organised to distribute appointment letters to 912 candidates selected through the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board's direct recruitment-2023 process.
The selections include police sub-inspectors (confidential), assistant sub-inspectors (clerk) and assistant sub-inspectors (accounts).
UP police reforms and infrastructure highlighted
Adityanath said the state had witnessed a change in its overall perception and credited the police with playing a major role in it.
He claimed that Uttar Pradesh had moved from being a "BIMARU" state to one that was "curfew-free and mafia-free", and said the police had demonstrated what had appeared impossible before 2017.
Adityanath highlighted police reforms, saying training capacity had increased substantially, the number of women personnel had crossed 44,000 and was expected to reach around 50,000 by year-end.
He said forensic capabilities had been strengthened with laboratories in every police range, while the commissionerate system had been introduced in seven cities.
Focus on technology and changing challenges
Adityanath further informed that the government also improved police infrastructure, reconstituted 34 PAC companies, established women PAC battalions, and constituted the Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force and State Disaster Response Force.
He urged the newly recruited personnel to adapt to new technology and changing challenges. "Every day is a new competition for us. We cannot remain confined to where we stand today. The world is constantly changing," he said.