IPS officers replicate library model which helped them crack UPSC

Mar 14, 2023, 16:45 IST

The police department in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh has set up a library with cubicles to assist civil service aspirants, including the children of policemen who reside in government accommodations of one room.

The library has around 58 cubicles that provide a distraction-free environment for long hours of study. The IPS officer, Shakti Mohan Avasthy, and his district police chief replicated the library model from Delhi's Rajendra Nagar area. They equipped it with 24X7 internet facilities, books on competitive exams, police acts, regulations, investigations, novels, philosophy, and other genres.

During his tenure, Avasthy observed that aspirants were struggling to find a peaceful setup with internet service for online mock tests or classes in Azamgarh. To tackle this, he and his then SP, Anurag Arya, decided to imitate the Rajendra Nagar model where Avasthy had spent three years preparing for the Indian Police Service. The Azamgarh police inaugurated the library five days ago, and it has since seen a daily footfall of around 15-20 civil service aspirants.

The Superintendent of Police Azamgarh, Anurag Arya, said, "Our target readers are policemen wards, young constables, sub-inspectors who want peaceful setups to study after duty hours and appear for civil services to become officers as IPS, IFS, and IAS." The library also has reading material for the Special Operations Group, crime branch team, and others.

The Azamgarh police collaborated with the National Book Trust to bring in scores of books for the library collection, including NCERT books, competitive exam-related books, and other genre books. The state government provided Rs 2.5 lakh under a development program to set up the library, which has been appreciated by many senior IPS officers on social media.

The police department's initiative in providing access to proper infrastructure and study material for civil service aspirants, especially those residing in remote areas, is commendable. The success of the library with cubicles model can inspire other police departments and organizations to take similar initiatives to facilitate students' academic aspirations. Such efforts can play a crucial role in shaping the future of aspiring civil servants in the country.

Designing the Cubicles, Distraction-Free Spaces for Civil Services Aspirants

A library with cubicles is an innovative way to create a conducive environment for uninterrupted study or work. It is especially helpful for people who require a quiet and distraction-free place to concentrate, such as students preparing for competitive exams, professionals working on important projects, or anyone else who needs a peaceful space to focus.The cubicles are specifically designed to provide a distraction-free setup for long hours of study for civil services aspirants.

The library, armed with a 24x7 internet facility, has around 58 cubicles, along with provisions for newspapers, magazines, and books which help prepare for competitive exams. It also includes scores of other books on police act, regulations, investigations, and other genres. The entire library was set up with just Rs 2.5 lakh provided by the state government under the development programme.