Being no stranger to competitive examinations more times than I'd like to admit, I am familiar with the long, stressful, expensive, and depressing process. Imagine waiting years for the exam, only to find that you have been allotted a test centre hundreds of kilometres away from home, a week before the examination. And even if you make the journey and appear for the paper, chances are, you might learn that the paper was leaked and the whole thing's been cancelled before you even make it back, flushing all the money, effort, and unrelenting anxiety, down the drain. The next day, you read it all in the newspaper for confirmation along with a re-examination assurance scheduled in the “tentative” future. Accountability? None.
*As per India Today's Data Analysis, since 2019, India has seen 65 exam paper leaks. Apart from the leak of the question paper for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2024, four other pan-India level examinations were engulfed by paper leaks.
Governments assure fair competitive examinations. Fails. They assure employment. Fails. Yet millions of hard-earned taxpayers’ money is spent every year to conduct these examinations. From INR 150 to INR 2500 is charged from a candidate just to allow him to be part of the examination. In some cases, believe it or not, includes a GST.
*The application fees of the recent IBPS CRP of Clerks in Banks (For Vacancies of 2025-26 ) is Rs. 175/- (inclusive of GST) for SC/ST/PwBD/ESM/DESM candidates & Rs. 850 /- (inclusive of GST) for all others.
RBI Grade B 2024 Application Fee is Rs. 850 + 18% GST is the application fee to be paid by candidates belonging to the General and OBC Categories. The same amount is reduced to Rs. 100 + 18% GST for candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD Category.
Nevertheless, we pay.
Lakhs of potential candidates who mostly belong to middle and lower-middle-class families scrumming over a few hundred jobs, pay such amounts, can at least expect the government to conduct a fair examination.
These exposures have proved that these scams aren’t new & have certainly been going on for years rotting the whole system to the core with many undeservingly holding high-ranking positions, possessed only through crooked methods, not merit.
We live in a nation where corruption has crept into the selection process for the most prestigious and honourable positions—those responsible for making our country healthier and safer. If such is the reality in UPSC, NEET, & NTA examinations, imagine the extent of corruption at State-level recruitment and the number of employees and officers getting selected & appointed with fraudulent EWS, Caste & Disability Certificates.
*Currently, BPSC (Bihar Public Service Commission) is in the process of recruiting 2 lakh teachers per month.
Imagine, the amount of documentation the authorities must go through. Will it really be a clean process? Does govt. of Bihar have any mechanism to fish out the fake documents amidst lakhs of aspirants, that too within a month?
India's competitive examination system is mired in corruption, inefficiency, and systemic failures. Despite the promises of fairness and transparency, the reality for candidates is a gruelling and often futile journey, marked by financial burdens, mental stress, and a pervasive lack of accountability. The recurring incidents of paper leaks and fraudulent activities highlight the deep-rooted issues that undermine the integrity of citizens and taxpayers of this nation.
For most aspirants, especially from the Unreserved Category the dream of securing a prestigious position through these examinations becomes a nightmare, with the odds stacked against those who abide by the rules.
If such is the India of today, anarchy akin to Bangladesh might not be far off.
No comments:
Post a Comment