A tabulation error in the Mizoram Public Service Commission’s storekeeper recruitment examination has put the validity of results and appointments to 15 government posts under review, after the state government acknowledged the lapse and apologised to affected candidates.
The error came to light after the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department received a communication from the MPSC secretary on November 12. The commission informed the department that marks supplied to its departmental promotion committee had been affected by an error while importing scanned optical mark recognition response-sheet data into an Excel spreadsheet.
According to the department, invalid roll numbers were inadvertently included during the data-import process. The written examination for 15 direct-recruitment storekeeper posts was held on April 30, with 1,945 candidates appearing. The recruitment process is now to be reviewed by the competent authorities.
The department received a list of 70 candidates who had qualified for interviews on September 30, along with a separate list of 10 candidates in the ex-servicemen category. The marks obtained by the candidates were not disclosed in the report. Interviews were conducted on October 14, 15 and 16.
On the evening of October 16, the departmental promotion committee received the written-examination marks from the MPSC in hard and soft copies. It combined the written-examination and interview scores and submitted a merit list to the government for approval. The results were declared on October 23.
The results included 14 successful candidates and 28 candidates on the waiting list in the unreserved category. One candidate was selected and four were placed on the waiting list under the ex-servicemen category. Appointment orders were issued to all 15 selected candidates on October 27, while their places of posting were announced on November 10.
The selected candidates began a five-day training programme at the department’s Directorate on November 11. The department said the recruitment process would be reviewed in light of the error reported by the MPSC. The government expressed regret and apologised to the candidates affected by the lapse.
The development has also triggered demands for wider scrutiny of the commission’s examination procedures. The Mizo Students’ Union has demanded the resignation of MPSC chairman R Lalramnghaka by November 19 and sought a high-level inquiry into alleged lapses over the past two years. The union claimed that the commission had issued more than 20 corrigenda after examination results were published during that period.
The immediate administrative question is whether the storekeeper recruitment results and appointments can stand after the correction of the marks data. The department’s review is expected to determine the next steps in the recruitment process.
