As one walks down the Hill along the Rajpath, now renamed Kartavya Path, come other edifices — Rail Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, Shashtri Bhavan, and Kartavya Bhavan on one side and Sena Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan, and Vanijya Bhavan on the other. The bureaucrats who adorn the offices in these buildings decide on India's economic, social, and industrial policies. There are many tales to be told from the corridors of these grandiose buildings. We let you in on some of them here in this week's edition of "Inside Raisina Hill".

UPSC CSE 2025: Namesakes Begin Celebrations For Success Not Theirs 

Namesakes have taken the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as false claims of clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025 have stirred up a row. Initially, a controversy erupted after an individual named Akanksha Singh claimed that she had secured All India Rank (AIR) 301. However, the officials concerned found that the claim was false. 

Now, it is Shikha Gautam of Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, who has stirred another similar row, with false claims of having secured AIR 113 in the UPSC CSE 2025. The news spread quickly in the local community, and she began receiving widespread attention. Her story gained emotional traction as she was described as the daughter of a Class IV employee, which led to celebratory headlines portraying her success as an inspiring journey. 

However, an administrative investigation found that the claim made by the resident of Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, was also false.

Following the probe, district officials stated that Shikha Gautam had not even cleared the UPSC Mains examination.

Such incidents highlight the growing instances of misinformation and premature claims about UPSC success, often amplified by social media and local celebrations before official verification. 

Over 93,000 Vacancies In CAPFs

The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been facing an acute manpower shortage, as 93,139 posts remain vacant.

According to the data presented by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Parliament, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is facing the highest shortage rate (17.7% vacancy), with 28,342 posts remaining vacant. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the largest among the paramilitary forces, which has its primary responsibility of ensuring internal security and assisting the state police forces in maintaining law and order, faces a vacancy of 27,400 posts.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which is responsible for guarding India’s sensitive borders with China, has a vacancy rate of 13.2% (12,333 posts). The Border Security Force (BSF) has 14,531 vacant posts.

Similarly, the Sashastra Seema Bal, which guards India’s porous border with Nepal and Bhutan, has 6,784 vacant posts. Assam Rifles, which guards India’s borders with Myanmar, has 3,749 posts lying vacant.

It is to be noted at the same time that, between April 2023 and February 2024, the MHA successfully inducted 67,345 personnel. Further, the Ministry has already notified an additional 64,091 vacancies.

Succession Planning For CPSEs

At a recent workshop organised by the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE), stakeholders highlighted the importance of succession planning for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) amid increasing global competition and technological change. K. Moses Chalai, Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), pointed out that there was an urgent need to build strong leadership and consistent recruitment pipelines, besides enhancing women’s participation. 

Mallika Srinivasan, Chairperson, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), said that succession planning must be viewed as a strategic imperative rather than a transactional process, and stressed the need for creating future-ready leaders. 

The workshop on "Succession Planning for Board-Level Positions" was organised with a focus on aligning talent development with the Prime Minister’s vision of a self-reliant India.

West Bengal Polls: Police Observers To Determine CAPF Movement

The "trust deficit" between the West Bengal government and the Election Commission (EC) of India, as remarked by the Supreme Court recently while hearing petitions challenging petitions concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, appears to be getting further entrenched. Instead of the district administration, Police Observers have been deputed by the poll panel to determine the movement of CAPFs during or after the polls. 

According to the sources, the decision has been conveyed to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal. At the same time, district-specific composite teams would also be formed to evaluate the pocket-specific requirement for CAPF deployment; and the decisions of the Police Observers in the matter would be final.

“The decision to change the jurisdictional authority to determine the CAPF movement was taken after the EC’s full bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, interacted with all the political parties on Monday. The representatives of most of the political parties alleged that the deployed CAPF personnel in the previous elections were either kept idle or diverted to places other than those where deployment was required the most,” a source said.