LUCKNOW, March 1 -- The joining letter for a staff nurse was replicated multiple times to give jobs to 15 undeserving candidates, who were deployed in the same posts at several health facilities in Ballia district. All the counterfeit documents had the same content as that of the genuine letter, except for the names.

This revelation is from an ongoing probe being done by the nursing section of the Uttar Pradesh health directorate here. Out of the 15 people, two are women who got the jobs of staff nurse.

The probe, still in its nascent stage, however, suggested the connivance of officials and other staff in Ballia, officials said. Now, the appointments of 5,000 nurses who were recruited between 2019 and 2025 are also under the scanner. ...