PANAJI: Believe it or not, six of the twelve candidates shortlisted by the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC) seem not to be residents of Goa, throwing questions on the ability of Goans to compete at the highest level in competitive exams. The shortlist was prepared after the initial choice-based screening test conducted by the GPSC.The first candidate on the list is one Pranab Gajanan Bhat, a resident of Ponda taluka but the following names in serial order read as Rahul Oddula Reddy, Sachin Kumar Singh, Vinay Kumar Yadav, Sachin Santosh Desai, Akash Kumar Jha Satyan, Manish Parashar and Saish Prakash Khalwadekar among the general category.
The news has sent alarm bells ringing among the Goa civil service circles in the state as well as connected circles with people expressing concern over the lack of a competitive edge among Goan aspirants. The news comes at a time when the functionaries of the government are insisting that even private companies hold interviews only within Goa and employ by and large locals in their companies.
"Our youth are not used to answering these exams and being able to crack a very standard exam despite the syllabus being made available well in advance ahead of the exam," a concerned citizen not wishing to be named on account of being a government servant said.
Out of the 2482 students who answered the exam only 12 have cleared the initial hurdle with a similar situation being in February when the exam was conducted with only seven clearing the initial hurdle out of a total of 1800 or so candidates who attempted the exam.
The choice based screening test is only the first hurdle on route to becoming a junior scale officer of the Goa civil service cadre. After the initial test, students have to go through a written exam as well as a personal interview.
Besides educational qualifications, the knowledge of Konkani is also an essential to be appointed as a junior scale officer while knowledge of Marathi is desirable, which ensures that persons familiar with the local language are appointed.
Being a constitutional body, the Goa Public Service Commission cannot restrict its advertisements to persons from within the state as the constitution guarantees equality of employment and does not allow for the restrictions placed by region. Goan youth can similarly apply for positions in other states as advertised by their public service commissions.
Junior scale officers are initially appointed as deputy collectors and other secretarial positions in the government before being promoted and can become directors of departments, undersecretaries and secretaries.
The Goa Public Service Commission had advertised for filling up of 10 posts of junior scale officers and the exam was held on September 24.
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ONE GOAN IN 'GENERAL'
The first candidate on the list is one Pranab Gajanan Bhat, a resident of Ponda taluka but the following names in serial order read as:
* Rahul Oddula Reddy,
* Sachin Kumar Singh,
* Vinay Kumar Yadav,
* Sachin Santosh Desai,
* Akash Kumar Jha Satyan
* Manish Parashar
* Saish Prakash Khalwadekar
(Among the general category)
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ONLY 12 CLEAR
Out of the 2482 students who answered the exam only 12 have cleared the initial hurdle with a similar situation being in February when the exam was conducted with only seven clearing the initial hurdle out of a total of 1800 or so candidates who attempted the exam
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ABOUT THE EXAM
The choice based screening test is only the first hurdle on route to becoming a junior scale officer of the Goa civil service cadre. After the initial test, students have to go through a written exam as well as a personal interview
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KONKANI ESSENTIAL
Besides educational qualifications, the knowledge of Konkani is also an essential to be appointed as a junior scale officer while knowledge of Marathi is desirable, which ensures that persons familiar with the local language are appointed
