Displeasure as state rolls out civil services exam rules

The JPSC candidates have alleged new exam rules would benefit outsider students more, as the state govt has revised qualifying rules for preliminary test

RANCHI: A section of aspiring Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) candidates has protested against the new rules of Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Examination (JCCSE), which was recently notified by the state government.

The candidates have alleged that the new rules would benefit students outside Jharkhand more, as the government has revised the qualifying rules in the preliminary test of JPSC.

A JPSC students’ union leader Manoj Kumar Yadav said, “Earlier, candidates had to qualify both papers--Paper-1 (general studies) and Paper-2 (Jharkhand specific general studies) in the preliminary test.”

He said, “The government had introduced Jharkhand specific general studies in the sixth JPSC exam, so that more students from Jharkhand could qualify the preliminary test, while outsiders could be restricted. Students not belonging to Jharkhand scored well enough in Paper-1, but faced trouble in Paper-2.”

“In a bid to ease the examination for outsiders, the criteria for qualifying both the papers individually were removed. Now, students need to obtain qualifying marks in aggregate, which means candidates who obtain minimum qualifying marks of 40% in aggregate shall be considered for Mains and interview,” Yadav alleged.

However, educationists said the criteria would not make much difference for ambitious students.

“Obtaining 40% qualifying marks for serious candidates preparing for civil service examinations is not a big deal. I don’t think it will make much difference,” said director of Amar Classes, Raj Choubey, who prepares candidates for the civil services examination.

Choubey, however, said as per the new rules, the cut-off mark gap between reserved category and unreserved category of students would not be more than eight percent, which might create some trouble for students belonging to scheduled tribe or schedule caste categories.

“It means that the reserved category students will get up to eight percent relaxation in cutoff marks, which was earlier higher,” he said.

The JCCSE Rules, 2021, was revised for the first time after separation of Jharkhand from Bihar in 2000. Jharkhand has been following Bihar Civil Services (Executive Branch) and Bihar Civil Services Recruitment Rules, 1951.

Principal secretary to department of personnel, administrative reforms, and Rajbhasa, Ajoy Kumar Singh said,

“All circulars, instructions and resolutions issued by the government in the past with respect to JCCSE have been incorporated with the new rules with minor changes. Now, students will find everything right from syllabus to examination rules at one place.”

“All issues, including reservation in preliminary test and marks of language papers have been addressed in the rules,” he said.

All issues, including reservation in preliminary test and marks of language papers, have been addressed in the rules.

AJOY KUMAR SINGH , Principal secretary to department of personnel and administrative reforms