Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board to adopt new SOPs, exams postponed to effect changes, says chairman

The GSSSB chairman added that the board will be able to conduct the examination for Binsachivalay Clerk and Office Assistant within next two months, adding that the changes will have good impact on the confidentiality and transparency aspects of the examinations.

The recruitment examination for nearly 3,500 vacancies of the two posts was held in November 2019. However, following large scale protests by job aspirants with allegations of paper leak, the government appointed a Special Investigation Team, which confirmed the paper leak, following which the exam was cancelled in December 2019.

GSSSB was then headed by Asit Vora, a political appointee. Vora resigned from the top post of the board recently, weeks after the question paper of Head Clerk recruitment examination was cancelled in December last year following paper leak. After Vora’s resignation, Rakesh has been given the charge of GSSSB.

Addressing media, Rakesh said that it was necessary that the new chairman gets time to properly understand the tasks and duties related to various recruitment examinations to be conducted by the board and to ensure that they are properly complied with.

Rakesh also said that the board has reviewed the existing SOPs for recruitment examinations and it was considering to employ technological intervention after studying the SOPs of other recruitment agencies such as the Gujarat Public Service Commission. “For that, too, more time is required,” an official release quoted Rakesh as saying.

“Therefore, it has been decided to conduct the examination with new SOPs with an objective that it is conducted with full sanctity and in a transparent and flawless manner… To effect necessary change in method of conducting examination, the change of date of examination was necessary and, therefore, it has been postponed. The government is committed to smooth management of the exam,” Rakesh added.

In reply to a question if there was any chance of paper leak in the existing SOPs under which the exam was scheduled to be held on February 13, Rakesh said, “What was there earlier was indeed good but our attempt is how to make it better.”

In reply to another question, Rakesh said, “This decision (of postponing the examination) has not been taken due to any probability of any possibility of irregularity. It has been taken due to change of chairman.”