Bhubaneswar: The state government has issued a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure transparency in the recruitment examinations in Odisha.

The General Administration Department of the state government issued the SoP as per the direction of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

The SOP has been issued to ensure transparency, integrity and security in the recruitment examinations conducted by various government agencies including Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC), Odisha Sub-Ordinate Staff Selection Board (OSSSB), Odisha Police Recruitment Board, Police State Selection Board and State Selection Board (Higher Education).

The SOP has strict protocols for printing, distribution, usage and evaluation of question papers and OMR sheets of recruitment exams.

As per the SOP, only subject experts with good credentials will prepare the question papers. To prevent question paper leak and any other irregularities, the question papers of recruitment exams will be printed in government press.

The question papers will be printed under the physical supervision of senior government officials, police officers and departmental representatives, said the SOP.

The question papers and OMR sheets will be packed together and stored in government treasuries. They will be delivered to the examination centres in secure packaging amid tight security.

As per the SOP, artificial intelligence (AI)-based monitoring will be introduced at exam centres to strengthen surveillance. CCTV live-streaming will be monitored by the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) or the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The Integrated Command & Control Centre will oversee operations to ensure efficiency and accountability. 

As part of the SOP, the recruitment agencies have been asked to stop the outsourcing system in exams for jobs.

It is worth mentioning here that the state government postponed the police sub-inspector (SI) recruitment exams in Odisha a few days ago on suspicion of question paper leak. As many as 118 persons, including many aspirants, have been arrested in connection with the alleged scam in the SI recruitment exams.