Health dept exams for Grade C posts: Wrong question papers sent, other sets arrive late to some centres in Pune, Nashik

State to decide action against firm entrusted with conducting exam

IIM Ahmedabad conducted the CAT 2021 exam on November 28, 2021. File.

Utter confusion prevailed at several centres across the state where an exam to fill vacant Grade C category posts of the state health department was conducted on Sunday morning. Question papers did not arrive on time at several exam centres, including in Pune, Nashik and Latur, while candidates at several centres received question papers for posts they had not applied.

Dr Archana Patil, state director of health, told The Indian Express that the matter will be looked into and students will not be adversely impacted. A decision will also be taken about Nyasa Communications Private Limited, the firm to which the task of conducting the statewide examination had been entrusted. The exam, which was to be conducted last month to fill up 6,205 vacant posts in Group C and D categories, had been postponed due to the “total inefficiency” of Nyasa, which was unable to meet the requirements for conducting it.

As many as 4,05,179 candidates appeared for the exam Sunday in 17 districts. Overall there were 1,025 exam centres and according to a statement issued by the state health department, problems occurred at 10 centres. At one centre, 36 candidates were given a different question set.

Three centres in Pune and two in Nashik did not receive question paper sets on time and invigilators to supervise the examination were absent. Dr Patil said that in the initial morning session, there was a problem at three centres in Pune. There were no invigilators at one centre and there was a delay in sending the question paper sets at other two centres, including Abeda Inamdar College.

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The state health department then deputed its own staff as invigilators. At Chinchwad, candidates were given a set of question papers of a different Grade examination. The paper for post of non-medical supervisors should have reached the Geeta Mala Examination Centre at Chinchwad, but instead candidates got question sets for another category.

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At Nashik’s Girnar examination centre, the question paper booklets were not sent on time – at one centre, the question papers were sent but the vehicle travelling to another centre in Nashik was delayed. At one centre, the student representative was not involved while opening the seal of the examination booklet. In a centre in Latur, there was a delay in getting the booklets while in Nagpur, the situation was resolved immediately.

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Across the state, more than four lakh candidates had enrolled for 2,739 vacant posts under the Class C category, including staff nurses, auxiliary nursing midwives, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, X-Ray technicians and laboratory assistants. The examination for 3,466 Class D category posts, including ward boys, sweepers and other supporting staff, will be held on October 31. Candidates for Grade C had appeared for the examination at more than 1,000 centres in the state.

In Pune circle (Pune, Satara and Solapur districts), as many as 31,951 candidates had been shortlisted for the written examination for selection to 236 vacant posts. In Pune, there were 63 centres for the morning session and 123 centres for the afternoon session, Dr Sanjay Deshmukh, assistant director (health), Pune circle told The Indian Express.

Patil said several sessions were being held to guide the Nyasa team on how to conduct the examination. Several state health department officials said this mismanagement could be damaging to the overall reputation of the department. But authorities said they will ensure candidates will not suffer and a decision will be taken soon on a re-exam for those who missed it.

City BJP unit chief Jagdish Mullick staged a demonstration at Abeda Inamdar college and demanded that the firm Nyasa be blacklisted.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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