Bhubaneswar: Amid a raging controversy over alleged irregularities in police sub-inspector (SI) recruitment exam, the state govt has sought an explanation from Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) for engaging private companies to conduct the tests.
It was pointed out that outsourcing the competitive exam was done despite a ban imposed by the government on such practices.
Notably, the state government had recently issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) to all recruiting agencies, instructing them to avoid outsourcing competitive job exams to outside parties. The SOP was issued barely a week before the alleged leak of paper for the SI recruitment exams on September 30.
“Selection of agencies to conduct examinations should be done with utmost care. However, outsourcing of the examination or any part of the examination process should not be allowed. It has been observed that many companies are outsourcing activities to very small companies with little or no credentials,” the SOP issued by the general administration & public grievance department on Sept 22.
After the postponement of the combined police service examinations (CBSE)-2024 due to alleged question paper leak, the government found that the OPRB selected a central public sector undertaking (PSU) to conduct the written tests on October 5 and 6 for filling 933 positions, including sub-inspectors, armed sub-inspectors, fire station officers, and assistant jailers.
It was found that the selected agency later outsourced the exam management to two private companies. This amounts to a violation of the SOP. The OPRB will need to clarify the reasons for involving third parties in the conduct of the exams, said a senior official.
No senior OPRB official was immediately available for comment on the issue.
The state government has asserted that it is committed to maintaining transparency in all recruitment processes. The government has sought details from all recruiting agencies regarding the reasons for postponement of various examinations after June 2024.
The government has issued instructions to ensure that all examinations, both online or offline, must be held in a foolproof and secure environment to ensure greater transparency and efficiency.
