RANCHI, Aug 18: An ‘Abhar Yatra’ planned in Ranchi to thank the Jharkhand government for cancelling the JSSC-CGL examination and other recruitment tests conducted by TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) was postponed on Tuesday due to adverse weather conditions.
The gratitude march was scheduled to mark the outcome of the student movement that had demanded action over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. Organisers said a fresh date for the march would be announced later.
The decision to defer the programme came a day after Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and all activities associated with TDPL, including examinations conducted, results published and candidates selected through the agency.
Soren also ordered a comprehensive inquiry into alleged irregularities in examinations conducted from 2014 onwards.
Addressing the media at Jaipal Singh Stadium, the chief minister said the government would undertake reforms in the examination system to ensure greater transparency and strengthen existing standard operating procedures to prevent irregularities.
The government has also launched a portal through which students, teachers and parents can submit suggestions on examination reforms. A committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal will work with experts and institutions to recommend further measures.
Student leader Devendra Nath Mahato welcomed the government’s decision and thanked Soren for accepting the students’ demands.
Mahato said students would continue to support efforts to eliminate corruption from the recruitment system and cooperate with the government during the investigation and reform process.
He, however, stressed that the examination system must be strengthened to prevent question-paper leaks and other irregularities in future.
The postponement of the ‘Abhar Yatra’ came as the state continued to witness reactions to the government’s decision, with student groups welcoming the cancellation while candidates who had cleared the JSSC-CGL examination raised concerns over the impact of the decision on their appointments.
