UPSC Mandates Face Authentication For All Candidates At Exam Centres

In September 2025, the UPSC conducted a pilot initiative to test AI-enabled facial authentication technology for swift and secure candidate verification. This was done with the help of the National e-Governance Division (NeGD).

According to an official statement, the initiative was aimed at strengthening the integrity of the examination process and enhancing the ease of entry for candidates at examination centres.

Pilot Initiative

The pilot initiative was carried out at select centres in Gurugram, Haryana, where the facial images of candidates were digitally matched with the photographs submitted in their registration forms, in a bid to reduce the verification time to an average of just 8-10 seconds per candidate.

This initiative streamlines the entry process while adding an extra layer of security.

The new update means that the candidates will have to undergo face authentication at the exam centres.

On July 10, 2025, the UPSC published a fresh tender seeking bids from public sector undertakings (PSU) “to match and cross-check the biometric details of the candidates to prevent cheating, fraud, unfair means and impersonation”, officials said.

Aadhaar-based Authentication

In the bid document, they said that the Commission announced its desire to incorporate Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication (or digital fingerprint capturing) and facial recognition of the candidates.

The national recruitment body said that it conducts 14 major examinations, recruitment tests, and interviews at about 3,000 venues across 180 centres, with a candidature ranging up to 12 lakhs.

Strengthening Examination Process

Over the past two years, the 100-year-old institution introduced several changes to strengthen the examination system, which came under scrutiny amid the NEET examination row and IAS probationer Puja Khedkar’s case.

For the civil services examination in 2024, the rules were amended, and the online submission of educational, caste, and physical disability certificates was made mandatory at the stage of preliminary examinations, unlike in the previous examinations, when documents were to be scanned and uploaded once a candidate qualified for the Mains examination.