Govt hauls up OPSC for error in marking OAS aspirant’s answer script

Bhubaneswar: The general administration and public grievance department has asked the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to launch a probe after a candidate was found to have scored 117 out of 200 marks in his essay paper for the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) mains exam, 2015, but was erroneously given 50 marks in the assessment, resulting him losing out on a probable government job. The OCS has also been hauled up for handing out a photocopy of the candidate’s answer sheet more than a year ater he had sought it for scrutiny.
Rajat Kumar Mishra from Bhadrak was surprised when he got only 50 marks out of 200 in his essay paper, considered one of the most crucial subject for the mains. He had made it to the OCS interview, conducted in January 2017, but could not make the merit list. That made him start looking at his marks in the written exams and it was then that he stumbled upon the marks in the essay paper.

“When I failed to get into the merit list, I started reviewing the marks that I had obtained in the written examinations held in February 2016. While doing so, I stumbled upon the essay paper and sent in a request for a photocopy of the paper to know the nature of marking,” Mishra said.

While he applied to see the photocopy of the paper on March 1, 2017, he received it on March 21, 2018, more than a year later. There he found glaring error in the markings. The examiner had initially given 117 for the 12-page answer and then wrote 50 below it. The examiner had also written 117 in words and then 50 on the same box, cancelling out the first one.

Mishra could not understand what was wrong and went to the OPSC office. “But no one took me seriously. I went to the office more than eight times, but nothing happened. I had even submitted a memorandum to the governor in June last year,” When nothing seemed to draw a response, Mishra approached the chief minister’s office on March 5 this year, with a request to look into the matter.

On march 13, the general administration and public grievance department issued a letter to OPSC asking the reason as to why the marks have been changed from 50 from 117.

The department has asked the commission to furnish a clarification on the delay in supplying the photocopy of the answer sheet to the applicant, while also demanding an answer as to the person responsible for it. Sources in the OPSC said the photocopy of an answer sheet should be sent to the candidate soon after an application is received.

Asked why he waited for a year to move the chief minister’s office, Mishra, who is preparing for the civil services, said, “I thought it will be resolved. I had also thought of taking legal recourse but was dissuaded by many, saying it will cost a lot. They said even with the revised marks, I may not get a rank.”