Lucknow, Aug 30: At least 93,500 candidates have so far applied for 62 posts of 'peon-messengers' which have fallen vacant in the telecom wing of the UP Police. Among the aspirants include nearly 50,000 graduates, 28,000 post-graduates and 3,700 PhD holders. BTechs and MBAs also feature prominently in the list, reports claimed.

Notably, the minimum educational qualification required for the post is Class V, along with an undertaking to be submitted by the candidate which states that he knows to ride a bicycle.

While critics have attributed unemployment in Uttar Pradesh as the prime reason for overqualified candidates applying for peon posts, government officials claim that the youth is more inclined to bag a job with the state, rather than working in the private sector.

The starting salary for the post is Rs 20,000, which is considered to be more lucrative as compared to what the private sector in UP is offering to the pass-out graduates. Secondly, the job is full-time and permanent, unlike the contractual jobs offered by other departments of the state.

ADG (telecom) PK Tewari said the department will formulate a new pattern for selection of candidates. The peon-messenger posts - vacant for the first time in 12 years - earlier required a basic qualification of Class V, along with an undertaking that the aspirant knows to ride bicycle.

This time, however, said Tiwari, the department is contemplating to conduct a written test to analyse the best understanding skills among the candidates. On being selected, their primary job will be to send messages from one police station to another, "we would also make them chip in other works also" due to their qualification, the ADG said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2018 03:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).