NPSC is free from any political influence: Deputy Chairperson

December 9, 2023 44 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | December 9

Stating that the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) has always stood firm on transparency and conducting the examination in a free and fair manner, Kelhouseto Nakhro, Deputy Secretary of the NPSC asserted the Commission has been free from any political influence.

“I have been with the commission since 2011 so far and in my experience there has not been any political interference whatsoever,” he said while adding that, the State government has been giving the commission a free hand at selecting meritorious candidates. “There is no interference whatsoever,” he said.

The official made the comments on the sidelines of the meeting of the Standing Committee of Chairpersons of State Public Service Commissions at Noune resort, Chümoukedima on December 8.

Remarking on the question of the NPSC’s track record so far, Nakhro added that when the NPSC first started conducting its examinations, the ratio of candidates per post was 3:1. Fast forward to the present, the preliminary exam conducted on November 11 this year saw a significant increase in the number of candidates i.e. 200 for 1 post.

“That way it is increasing every year but so far there have not been any complaints and the Commission has been conducting the exam in a very free and fair manner,” he stated. “Certainly there are some disgruntled candidates, but apart from that there is no pending case in any court of law against the Commission (NPSC),” he said.

On the question of whether the quality of the examinations has been improving or not over the years, Nakhro alluded to the fact that the recent news of four successful candidates from Nagaland clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in 2022-2023 has shown the State’s exam has been revamping in quality.

The four candidates from Nagaland who cleared the UPSC had also cleared the state service exam previously and were appointed /selected in various capacities of Extra Assistant Commissioners (EAC), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Secretariat Assistant (SA).

“What we have heard from candidates is that the question pattern is becoming more standardized and more like UPSC pattern which they are happy about; I should say it is a positive trend,” Nakhro said.

This is in relation to the practice of candidates preparing simultaneously for both NPSC and UPSC, he added.

The meeting saw in attendance the State Chairpersons of Goa Public Service Commission (PSC), Jose Manuel Noronha; Harayana PSC, Alok Verma; Uttar Pradesh PSC, Sanjay Shrinet; Gujarat PSC, Nalin B Upadhyay; Himachal Pradesh PSC, Rameshwar Singh Thakur; Andhra Pradesh PSC, Gautam Sawang; Assam PSC, BB Dev Choudhury; and Sikkim PSC, SB Subba.

W Honje Konyak, NPSC Chairperson in his address to the gathering gave an overview of the state’s commission which began to function from March 3, 1966 onwards. “This commission conducts various recruitment examinations namely NCS, NPS, engineering, medical, agri and allied services,” he reported.

Various agendas were discussed between the officials during the meeting including on the issue of update of e-directory, utilization of technology, implementing artificial intelligence in State PSCs, disciplinary matters, interview techniques and digital evaluation among others.

It was also revealed that the visiting officials will be meeting with the Chief Minister on December 9 followed by a visit to the Hornbill festival at Kisama, Kohima.