UPSC pilots AI-enabled facial recognition for candidate verification

• The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has successfully conducted a pilot programme to test AI-enabled facial authentication technology for swift and secure candidate verification.

• It was conducted during the National Defence Academy (NDA) & Naval Academy (NA) II Examination and Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2025 recently held on September 14.

• This initiative, undertaken in collaboration with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), seeks to strengthen the integrity of the examination process and enhance the ease of entry for candidates at examination centres.

• The pilot was carried out at select centres in Gurugram, where candidates’ facial images were digitally matched with the photographs submitted in their registration forms. 

• The new system reduced verification time to an average of just 8-10 seconds per candidate, significantly streamlining the entry process while adding an extra layer of security.

• Across the pilot locations, about 2,700 successful scans were completed for 1,129 candidates across different sessions. 

• The successful trial marks an important step towards leveraging advanced technology for smarter, more secure and efficient examinations.

National e-Governance Division

• National e-Governance Division was created by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITy) in 2009 as an Independent Business Division under the Digital India Corporation, a section 8 not-for-profit company. 

• Since 2009, NeGD has been playing a pivotal role in supporting MeitY in programme management and implementation of e-governance projects, providing technical and advisory support to ministries, both at central and state levels along with other government organisations.

• NeGD’s major operational areas include programme management, project development, technology management, capacity building, awareness and communication related activities under the flagship Digital India Programme. 

• NeGD has developed and is managing several National Public Digital Platforms such as DigiLocker, Entity Locker, UMANG, OpenForge, API Setu, myScheme, India Stack Global, Meri Pehchaan, UX4G, etc.