BHUBANESWAR : In a move that could raise questions over exclusion and discriminatory practices, the state government has decided to reintroduce examination or application fees for appearing in different recruitment tests conducted by it.
The government’s rationale, however, is that the measure will filter out ‘non-serious’ candidates from appearing the exams, thereby reducing the candidate load and burden on the examination agencies.
The Odisha Public Se rvi c e Commi s s ion (OPSC), Odisha Staff Select ion Commi s s ion (OSSC) and Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) conduct examinations for different government posts and services throughout the year.
Imposition of examination fees will ensure those who are serious about getting the particular job apply and appear the tests, officials concerned said. The issue was discussed earlier this year at a chief secretary-level meeting and subsequently decided that fee for the recruitment examination may be reintroduced.
The amount will be refunded to the candidates after the exams. The General Administration and Public Grievance department on Saturday wrote to the secretaries of OPSC, OSSC and OSSSC seeking their views with regards to the procedure to be adopted for refund of the examination fees collected from the candidates.
How to define ‘non-serious’: Aspirants
Currently, there is no application fee for any of the examinations conducted by the three government recruitment agencies. The government had on April 11, 2022 removed application/examination fees for all categories of candidates applying or appearing in the recruitment examinations for government jobs.
Prior to 2022, the application fees ranged from Rs 350 to Rs 1,000, depending on the examinations. This decision has, meanwhile, evoked sharp reactions from candidates preparing for various government examinations as well as different sections.
They alleged that the fees will deprive many deserving candidates from the poorer sections from appearing the exams and thus losing opportunities from getting government jobs.
They also questioned how a candidate can be defined as non-serious. “How can a candidate be labelled as non-serious? Youth who prepare for government jobs apply for all kinds of examinations.
Nowadays, multiple exams for separate jobs or posts are conducted on a single day and same time too. This, in itself, make candidates opt for their specific test and appear them. A major chunk of candidates aspiring for government jobs with be deprived, if fees are imposed,” said a student leader Bibhuti Mohapatra.