Clarify doubts of Group-1 candidates: Lokesh writes to CM

Manual valuation needed in place of digital valuation

Do justice for future sub-collectors, RDOs, etc

AMARAVATI (prajaamaravati): TDP National General Secretary and MLC Nara Lokesh on Saturday wrote a letter to Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, stressing the need for removing doubts of the candidates who wrote the Group-1 mains examination in December last year.

Mr. Lokesh urged the CM to cancel the previous digital valuation and follow manual valuation afresh in order to do justice to the future sub-collectors, RDOs and others occupying such important posts. It was important that the results of such a significant recruitment test should be announced duly following transparent, unbiased and justifiable methods.

Mr. Nara Lokesh said over 7,000 candidates appeared for the mains exam which was held in December, 2020, based on the notification issued in 2018. The results were announced on April 28 this year. About 340 candidates got selected for the interviews. There were many complaints that the valuation was not done in a transparent manner. The selection process was contrary to the methods that used to be followed in the past.

Expressing doubts, Mr. Lokesh said that the digital valuation was followed without making any prior study which had triggered many allegations and criticism. The answer sheets were originally designed for manual valuation but they were eventually evaluated in digital mode. As a result, many qualified candidates would face the threat of getting disqualified. The Government should take corrective measures since the interview round was scheduled for June.

Mr. Lokesh listed out five demands from the TDP, saying that the mains answer sheets should be evaluated manually. Secondly, the names of all the selected candidates and their marks should be announced. White paper should be published on the technical feasibility of digital valuation of the answer sheets designed for manual valuation.

Mr. Lokesh also demanded that the marks and the answer sheets of the disqualified candidates should be made public. An online forum should be opened in order to receive and resolve the complaints being made by the candidates who had doubts on the selection process and valuation.

Calling for transparency, Mr. Lokesh said that it was not justifiable on the part of the Government to disregard the lawful and traditional methods of conducting the Group-1 exams on the pretext of the Coronavirus epidemic. The digital valuation taken up without prior foolproof arrangements should not be allowed to become a curse for the candidates.