SELECTION OF PHYSICALLY / VISUALLY HANDICAPPED CANDIDATES

           While placing requisition with the Commission, the indenting Departments are required to indicate the number of vacancies exclusively reserved for physically handicapped. In order to ensure that the vacancies reserved for them are filled to the maximum extent, the Commission has decentralized the processing of their applications at regional/sub-regional level and delegated powers to the Regional Directors/Sub-Regional Deputy Directors so that bottlenecks, in getting medical clearance/certificates regarding the extent of physical disability are removed and clearance obtained at the earliest. Furthermore, close monitoring is done by the Commission at the Headquarters to ensure that the eligible candidates are nominated against the vacancies identified/notified for this category, at the earliest and all the posts reserved for physically handicapped are filled to the extent of availability.

STEPS TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION TO MOTIVATE WOMEN CANDIDATES TO PARTICIPATE IN EXAMINATIONS CONDUCTED BY IT

The Commission allowed fee exemption to women candidates cutting across all the categories with effect from 21.7.2009 to motivate them to participate in examinations conducted by it. 1732246 of total applicants during the year were women candidates. Participation of women candidates has increased from 1075015 to 1732246 during the period under report.

STRENGTHENING OF EXAMINATION ADMINISTRATION

Due to qualitative change in the nature and composition of the clientele of the Commission, the main concern of the Commission is to conduct the examinations successfully on schedule, free from incidents and malpractices at all the centres. Since the number of posts available is limited, the competition has become fierce leading sometimes to display and use of unfair means by some for personal advantage. The Commission has been making concerted efforts to ensure that such unhealthy practices are nipped in the bud. The system of appointing Invigilators, Supervisors and Inspecting Officers for the venues of the examinations has been strengthened. Each information/complaint received regarding adoption of any unfair means, is promptly looked into, investigated to its logical end and stringent / necessary action taken against the culprits, wherever required. The Commission not only cancels the candidature of such candidates but also debars them from its future examinations and wherever necessary, the process of criminal prosecution is also initiated. Inspecting officers drawn from other Central Government offices are also positioned in all venues and their reports analyzed for taking corrective action. The number of Inspecting Officers per venue was increased to two during the year, wherever feasible. Placing of scanned photographs and signatures of the candidates on the admission certificates is now  required and has been found successful. Left Thumb Impression in the Answer Sheets/scripts, admission certificates and attendance lists serve as further deterants. As a result of stepping up of vigilance, strengthening supervision, specialized screening of handwriting of doubtful cases by the office of the Examiner of Questioned Documents and requisite help from the State Governments and District Administration, salutary improvements have been noticed towards holding of free and fair examinations. During 2010-11, the Commission started despatching flying squads from its headquarters and also introduced standard seating arrangements and distribution of question papers and answer sheets/booklets with the same serial numbers to each candidate. Post-examination analysis of performance of candidates was also done selectively to assess the extent of conformity with Commission's instructions and follow up action taken on the basis of analysis reports. It is proposed to have post-examination analysis and follow-up action as regular features in all future examinations.

STRUCTURED PERSONALITY TEST

For evaluating the personality traits of the candidates appearing for some of the recruitments where the incumbents to the posts are more likely to come into contact with the public or are required to display special characteristics such as integrity and creativity. The Commission have made special efforts to ensure that prejudice and bias do not colour the assessment of the individual's personality traits. Notable among these are posts such as Inspectors of Income Tax/Central Excise and Sub Inspectors of CBI and other Central Police Organisations like CRPF, CISF, BSF, ITBP etc. The candidates called for interview/personality test are  informed well in advance through interview call letters about the scope of such interview in broad terms in order to provide them an opportunity to prepare properly. The interview schedule for Open Examinations is also placed on the Commission's website for information of the candidates. Selection of experts and advisors with appropriate and requisite professional qualifications and expertise in the relevant field continues to be emphasized. Uniformity of approach among various interview boards for the same category of posts, objectivity for different categories of posts have been ensured by introducing structured personality test. Moreover, the Commission keeps reviewing these guidelines on regular basis so as to ensure that they meet the test of time and judicial scrutiny. With a view to bring about further uniformity in the appraisal of candidates during the personality test, the Commission refined the guidelines further on award of marks during the year under report and also introduced random allocation of candidates to different boards and shuffling of experts and advisers. The Commission further decided to allow candidates to be interviewed in respective regional languages subject to certain conditions, as a part of its continuing effort to provide a level playing field to rural and urban candidates.

ADVISORY ROLE OF THE COMMISSION

Wherever it is noticed that the recruitment rules are rigid and unrealistic or have become redundant due to stipulation of unreasonably high educational qualification, the Commission suggests necessary amendments in the rules so as to attract the best available talent. Commission has also been suggesting amalgamation, rationalization and clubbing of posts which are similar, if not identical, in pay scales and other service conditions. The Commission also suggests to indenting departments to simplify the essential qualification clause in the respective recruitment rules in order to make the selection process more practicable and remove anomalies or unnecessary complication or ambiguity in the essential qualification requirements, vagueness in experience clause, length of  service etc. As a result of this exercise, Recruitments Rules for some posts were modified by the cadre controlling authorities. A Committee, constituted by the Commission, made recommendations in Essential Qualifications for posts of Library and Information Assistant etc. during the year, based on which all user departments have been advised to modify the recruitment rules suitably.

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Courtesy : Staff Selection Commission