Jammu, (IANS) : Around 39,000 candidates across Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Sunday appeared for the state Civil Services Examination at 84 centres.

“State Public Service Commission on Sunday conducted the J&K Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination, 2016 for 277 gazetted posts in J&K administrative service, J&K police service and J&K accounts service,” an official here said.

A total of 48,000 applications were received and approximately 80 per cent attendance was reported during the examination held at 84 centres across the State.

“It was for the first time that the examination centres were established in far-flung areas to provide opportunity to aspirants from lower income groups,” an official statement said.

The examination centres were established at Anantnag, Baramulla, Doda, Leh, Kargil and Rajouri districts apart from those established at Srinagar and Jammu cities.

According to the statement, the District Magistrates of the concerned districts where the centres were established for the first time were designated as Custodian-cum-Coordinating Supervisors for overall supervision at the district-level and coordination with the Commission Secretariat.

“Elaborate arrangements were put in place by the Divisional and District Administrations and Police for ensuring successful conduct of the Examination”, the statement said.

“Observers were also appointed, both by the government and the commission, to oversee and supervise the arrangements and ensure that the examination is conducted in a free and fair manner,” the statement added.

Notably, the numbers of aspirants for civil services both at the national and state-level have been increasing in J&K over the last one decade.