Bengaluru, Nov 12 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday directed deputy commissioners to put in place election-style security arrangements for the preliminary examination conducted by the KPSC on November 15 to fill 319 Gazetted Probationer posts.
Reviewing the preparations through a video conference with deputy commissioners and superintendents of police, Shivakumar instructed officials to train all examination personnel on the lines of election duty and submit compliance reports.
The examination must be conducted with utmost transparency, leaving no room for malpractice, and all guidelines issued by the Karnataka Public Service Commissioner must be strictly enforced, his office said in a release.
“We have undertaken several reforms in the examination process,” Shivakumar said, directing officials to ensure continuous CCTV surveillance at all examination centres.
He instructed the police department to put in place robust security arrangements similar to those adopted during police recruitment examinations.
No unauthorised person would be allowed inside examination centre premises, while even authorised personnel would have to undergo security checks, he said.
Officials were asked to assess the sensitivity of each examination centre and deploy personnel accordingly. Additional security equipment could be procured on rent, while police personnel could be mobilised from other locations if required.
The CM prohibited candidates from carrying mobile phones into examination centres and warned that senior officials would be held accountable for any lapses.
The directions come amid allegations of irregularities, paper leaks and recruitment scams that have plagued the KPSC examination process in recent years.
For the first time, two invigilators will be deployed in every examination hall, with at least one of them required to be from a government college, Shivakumar said.
The arrangement is intended to facilitate additional identity checks after candidates enter the examination hall and ensure continuous monitoring. Officials were also directed to take stringent measures to prevent impersonation.
The CM warned that the recognition of private aided colleges as examination centres would be cancelled if they were found to have facilitated malpractice.
He said stringent legal action would be initiated against anyone involved in examination-related irregularities.
Emphasising zero tolerance towards misinformation concerning the examination, Shivakumar directed the police department to actively monitor social media platforms and ensure that rumours were brought to the notice of officials immediately for appropriate clarification.
He urged candidates and the media to verify information through official sources and appealed to aspirants to appear for the examination with confidence without being influenced by rumours.
Briefing the meeting on the arrangements, KPSC Controller of Examinations H Prasanna outlined several measures being introduced to prevent malpractice.
Under the five-option OMR system, candidates who do not know the answer to a question must mandatorily darken the fifth bubble (Option 5). No question can be left unanswered, he said.
Each OMR sheet will have three copies — one for the candidate, another for evaluation by the KPSC and the third to be kept securely in the strong room of the deputy commissioner or the KPSC.
CCTV cameras and mobile jammers are being installed in all examination halls. Superintendents of Police have been instructed to personally certify that the jammers are functioning properly.
In another transparency measure, scanned copies of all OMR sheets will be uploaded to the KPSC website for public viewing on the day of the examination. Arrangements have been made to scan the OMR sheets in 12 districts.
For future examinations, Shivakumar directed the Department of e-Governance to introduce Aadhaar-based identity verification at examination centres to prevent impersonation.
He instructed officials to establish OMR scanning centres at all district headquarters in coordination with the Department of Technical Education to facilitate faster declaration of results.
The CM also directed deputy commissioners to prioritise the issuance of caste validity certificates.
Pointing out that appointments against several previously announced recruitment results had been delayed due to the non-issuance of these certificates, he said such administrative bottlenecks would not be tolerated.
More than 1.47 lakh candidates are expected to appear for the preliminary examination, which is being conducted to fill 319 Gazetted Probationer posts, comprising 202 Group B and 117 Group A vacancies, officials said.
A total of 345 examination sub-centres have been established across 15 districts — Kalaburagi, Raichur, Ballari, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Dharwad, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Davanagere, Tumakuru, Mysuru and Bengaluru Urban.
The examination will be held on November 15 (Sunday) in two sessions. Paper I, covering General Studies and Humanities, will be conducted from 10 am to noon, while Paper II, covering State-related General Studies, Science and Technology, and Mental Ability, will be held from 2 pm to 4 pm. PTI KSU SSK
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