KPSC appointments: Hota report ignored

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) will start, from February 20, the personality test for the candidates who have cleared the written test conducted in 2014 for the appointment of 464 Gazetted Probationers. But both the state government and the commission are quiet on the notification for fresh appointment process.

Hundreds of candidates, who have been preparing for the gazetted probationers exam over the last three-four years, said that the PC Hota Committee report, which has been accepted by the state government, has recommended that the KPSC hold gazetted probationers exam every year.

But exams have been conducted only twice since 2011. Also, the government is yet to take a decision on the fate of 362 candidates selected in 2011 as the exam results have been kept on hold because of allegations of corruption.

Candidates and the KPSC officials said that a notification for fresh appointments is ready, but the government is yet to approve it. “As per the Hota Committee report, we must conduct the examination every year in line with the UPSC. But the state government is not ready to grant permission for fresh recruitments," said a KPSC officer.

“If we do not conduct the exam at regular intervals, the state bureaucracy will face a shortage of young officers. Vacant posts are now being filled through promotions from lower cadre. It is better to follow the Hota committee report," he said.

Confusion over 2014 batch
The candidates who have been selected for the personality test after the 2014 examination fear that the recruitment process will be mired in corruption this year too. “Honest officers like Mr Subodh Yadav have been shunted out of the commission and the Hota Committee report on personality test has been violated completely. These changes will allow middlemen to play a key role during the interview process,” a candidate said.