Demands for independent probe into irregularities in Odisha govt recruitment exams grow

Amid growing concerns over the integrity of government recruitment examinations in Odisha, there has been an emphatic call for an independent inquiry into the state's examination processes. This appeal was made on Wednesday during a press conference by several intellectual leaders, including Bijay Kumar Patnaik, the former Chief Secretary of Odisha, along with parents of hopeful candidates.

Recent Examination Controversies 

The demand was fuelled by recurrent issues over the past few years. Notably, examinations last month for leave training reserve (LTR) teaching positions, organised by the Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC), were plagued by incidents where candidates encountered broken official seals on question booklets at various examination centres.

The exams, conducted in an offline format using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) on 23 March, left numerous candidates anxious about the possibility of question leaks. Rajat Kumar Mishra, who has been vocal about these concerns, remarked that despite raising the issue, no corrective measures were taken by the OSSC. Mishra has officially filed a complaint with the Chief Minister’s grievance cell, pressing for measures to ensure transparency.

Urgent Recommendations

The prompt reporting of these discrepancies as soon as candidates received their question papers highlights a significant breach of examination standards, according to Mishra. He advocates for an independent body to review CCTV footage from examination venues to corroborate claims of broken seals.

The assembly further urged the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) to disclose the mark sheets of all successful candidates from previous LTR exams and to consider increasing the upper age limit for government job applicants to 40.