KOLKATA: The Bengal government will set up coaching centres for UPSC and PSC examinations in all districts and is roping in the higher education department to implement it. DMs had been asked to tie up with educational institutes and plans are afoot to check feasibility of setting up similar centres in sub-divisions in case of remote areas.
This week CM Mamata Banerjee had instructed that these centres be set up so that youths from rural areas can get the chance for proper grooming. A Nabanna official said the DMs had already started scouting for space for these centres. In South 24 Parganas, such centres are likely to come up in Diamond Harbour and Baruipur.
Vidyasagar University has started running a civil service training centre for IAS and WBCS aspirants on its Midnapore campus from Wednesday, said VC Shibaji Pratim Basu. Midnapore West district administration also started a similar training centre with 100 aspirants in Midnapore district library from Thursday.
Rana Mukherjee, additional SP of Kharagpur, said they have started a training centre at Inda college and another will come up at Debra’s Shahid Khudiram Bose Memorial College. West Midnapore DM Rashmi Kamal said they are trying to rope in the best faculty. A centre has also been launched at the Ghatal SDO’s office. “In Hooghly, the civil service training classes for IAS is now being held at Uttarpara library and, from next week the venue will be shifted to Hooghly Mohsin College,” said Hooghly DM P Deepap Priya. She said the decision to shift the venue to Hooghly Mohsin College was taken as the infrastructure is better and more candidates can be accommodated. Probationer officers will also be used to guide students as they had cracked the examinations a year ago, the DM said.
In Bolpur, one training has started functioning with 40 WBCS aspirants. It is looking forward to improving its capacity and library support facility. At Jalpaiguri district library, classes are being held for civil service aspirants. “The government has asked that the venue be shifted to a college. We will soon finalize it,” said Jalpaiguri DM Moumita Godara Basu.
The CM had been reiterating about the dearth of IAS and IPS officers, and had written to the Centre that the lack of officers was hindering proper governance. Moreover, she had expressed her desire to bifurcate a number of districts for better governance. A committee headed by chief secretary H K Dwivedi has been formed to increase intake of Bengal civil service officers. The new districts likely to be formed will be by bifurcation of South and North 24 Parganas and Murshidabad.
(With inputs from Sujoy Khanra, Falguni Banerjee & Pinak Priya Bhattacharya)
