The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has proposed a series of measures for the government to overhaul the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC), whose function is under scanner for faulty questions, nepotism and favouritism.
One of the proposals laid down by VPP MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit in the House during a call attention motion today was constitution of a “confidential section” in the commission to handle sensitive matters like setting of question papers to enable accountability in case of paper leakage or other irregularities.
Basaiawmoit suggested creation of a “moderation board” to review and detect errors and mistakes in question papers and a panel of question setters for different subjects particularly for Class I posts, to prevent leakages.
Additionally, the VPP MLA proposed that the marks allocated for personal interviews for posts with written examinations should be capped at 12.5 per cent of the total marks and that the ratio for selection of candidates in the preliminary for the main examination should be 1:10.
For the personal interview he suggested that the ratio should be 1:2, that is, two candidates for one post.
Basaiawmoit also urged the government to consider the 20-point reformative steps suggested by the Khasi Students Union, which had spearheaded agitations against the functioning of the MPSC.
He also stated that there has been inconsistency on the part of the MPSC while issuing notifications about interviews and cited samples of those dated August 2, 2019, February 11, 2022 and July 18, 2023.
While a 2019 notification notes that the MCS main examination shall not be more than ten times the number of vacancies declared, the personal interview notification reads otherwise when it mandates that the ratio shall be 1:10 to 1:25 depending on the post advertised. This was again repeated in 2022, he said.
Basaiawmoit pointed out that as per notification issued in 2023 the number of candidates to sit or appear for the main examination shall not be than 15 times as per the number vacancies advertised and for the personal interview the ratio 1:2:5 of the declared post.
Replying to the call attention motion, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said as per the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the MPSC, District Selection Committees (DSCs), and departmental selection committees will be required to declare results within six months from the date of advertisement.
He emphasised that these SOPs will be strictly monitored by administrative secretaries, Heads of Departments (HODs), district heads, and sub-divisional level officials to prevent delays. He attributed the previous delays to various factors, including departments taking excessive time to notify vacancies, leading to postponed promotions and recruitment.
According to Sangma a key aspect of the new SOPs is the requirement for departments to inform about upcoming vacancies six months prior to an employee’s superannuation, enabling timely completion of necessary procedures.
The Chief Minister also told the House that many departments take time to inform about the vacancies causing delay in promotions and recruitments. For this, strict instructions have been issued to all the recruitment agencies that recruitment should be done in a time bound manner, he added.
