April 6: Arya Vidyapeeth College has set up a centre to train students for different competitive examinations.

The co-ordinator of the cell, Jatin Sarmah, said the cell would organise its first training programme on Assam Forest Service and Indian Forest Service (IFS) examinations in the last week of this month, as there is no institution in the city to impart training on these.

The UGC has given Rs 13 lakh to the college to set up the training cell.

It allotted the funds to train candidates from the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes and minority students only but the college has decided to train candidates from the general category also.

“The fund was released to train candidates from SC, ST, OBC and minority students. But we will train students from general category, too,” said Sarmah.

The college has opened the training programme for students from the other colleges also.

Candidates from other colleges will be charged a fee, while it is free for SC, ST, OBC and minority students.

The UGC has asked the college to conduct training intermittently for three years with the funds.

The college will also provide training for other competitive examinations at the national level, including those conducted by Union Public Service Commission, Staff Selection Commission and railway recruitment board.

IFS and Union Civil Services examinations are some of the toughest entrance examinations in the country, needing months of preparation with a focused and dedicated approach.

Blame it on lack of proper training institute or other factors, Assam has always cut a sorry figure in these examinations.

Assam Administrative Staff College provides training for Union Civil Service Examinations to around 20 SC or ST students every year.

Similarly, Gauhati University also runs a training centre.

An Assamese vernacular daily also gives financial assistance to a few selected candidates so that they can take training in Delhi for the examination.

Around three students have cleared the Union Civil Service examination, with financial assistance from the newspaper.

Sarmah said their training would be for three hours a day.

Teachers have been invited from Assam Administrative Staff College.

He said some teachers from their college would also impart the training.

Sarmah said the college now subscribes to five national papers published from Delhi and 16 international and national magazines, including Time and Newsweek.