Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC)
Introduction
The Bihar Public Service Commission or BPSC is a Constitutional body, set up for the selection of candidates for the job of Civil Services in the state of Bihar. Article 315 of the Indian Constitution addresses the Public Service Commission (PSC) for both the Union and the States and the same provision deals with the body working for BPSC.
Since the time of 1853 (post-independence), the idea or provision for conducting a competition for the designation of top Commission Posts was drafted. Under the chairmanship of Lord Macaulay, the First Law Commission was shaped under the Charter Act of 1833 by the East India Company during Colonial Rule.
After the separation from the Commission for the states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, the Bihar Police Service Commission came into existence on 1st April 1949. The Bihar Public Service Commission commenced its operations for the state of Bihar with Ranchi as its initial headquarters. The State Government resolved to relocate the Commission’s headquarters from Ranchi to Patna, which was accomplished on March 1, 1951. Shri Rajandhari Sinha was the first chairman of the Bihar Public Service Commission. Shri Radha Krishna Choudhary was the Commission’s first Secretary.
Working Of Bihar Public Service Commission
- The Constitution of India lays down the provisions of the Public Service Commission under Article 320 and Article 321;-
State government positions are filled through the administration of Competitive Examinations or through interviews.
Providing the State Government with advice on the qualifications of officers for an appointment, promotion, and transfer from one service to another.
Providing advice to the State Government on problems pertaining to recruiting to various services and positions, as well as the formulation and modification of Recruitment Rules.
Providing the State Government with advice on all disciplinary issues involving various civil servants.
Providing advice to the State Government about the granting of extraordinary pensions, reimbursement of legal fees, etc.
- The Commission advises the State Government on any topic presented to it by the Governor of Bihar.
Designation (Posts) Offered By BPSC
- Exams for different government positions are administered by the BPSC based on the number of vacancies received from various government agencies. The candidates who are eligible according to the recruitment regulations are required to apply for the positions and are then subjected to a screening examination, main examination, and interview. The Commission will administer the examinations and compile the final merit list, where candidates will be assigned positions based on their exam performance.
1. Bihar Administrative Service:-
- The administrative service position is loaded with responsibility. The Officer is accountable for the daily operations in his region. As the situation can be exigent at times, he may be required to report for duty even at night. If the Officer is assigned to a sensitive location, he must be more vigilant. This position is quite demanding. Under these positions, individuals are appointed in the state as Circle Officer, and Senior Deputy Collector.
2. Bihar Police Service:-
- The DSP, who is second in the department, holds the second-most-responsible position after the administrative services positions. Under these positions, individuals are appointed as Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP), whose duty is to maintain peace and order in the area. He guarantees the police department’s efficient operation. Because he is entirely responsible for the maintenance of peace and order in his area, he must always be on call.
3. Bihar Financial Service:-
- Finances are the backbone of any state, and the government must ensure that there are no irregularities in the financial system. The Officer must exercise extreme caution when carrying out his duties. Job performance requires greater care than decision-making. Candidates selected to these positions are Commercial Tax Officers. Officers are responsible for ensuring the government’s tax collection and any connected matters.
4. Product Inspector:-
- The state produces or manufactures a variety of goods for the industry. The BPSC assigns a large number of Product Inspectors to oversee commodity and product-related matters within its jurisdictional state. Officers are expected to oversee the production and quality assurance activities in their state. As the possibility of malpractice exists at all times, he must remain vigilant.
5. District Minority Welfare Officer:-
Social justice requires equality between all segments of society, regardless of socioeconomic status. In the same vein, the State employs the Minority Welfare Officer, who is responsible for the minorities in his region. He is responsible for the improvement of minorities and the implementation of government-run projects. He will create a public awareness campaign in his community and inform them of the new efforts for their improvement. The officer who ensures the integration of minorities into mainstream culture.
These are a few of the top designation candidates are assigned after clearing the exam.
Recruitment Process By Commission
- There are two methods of recruitment for the Commission jobs in Bihar: –
- Direct Recruitment: – By means of clearing competitive exams.
Level 1-
- Preliminary examination
- Main (Written) Examination of the candidates successful in Preliminary Test.
- Interview
Level 2– Main (written) and interview.
Level 3– Interview
- Promotion- Civil servants are promoted through the Departmental Promotion Committee (under the chairmanship of the Commission) and in compliance with the rules established by the State Government.
Allegations On The Commission Of The Bihar
BPSC has been in news several times regarding Paper leaks, Malpractices during the exam, Prior booking of seats of the candidates, and indulgence of Higher Authorities in the exam scam. Recently BPSC was still in news due to Paper Leak before the exam to a few candidates, after which the board canceled the Combined Competitive Preliminary or Pre-Exam 2022 which again resulted in huge chaos because few candidates wouldn’t be able to apply for the exam next year due to their age barriers.
This year around 6 lakh candidates were to appear for the BPSC Prelims exam. The majority of the candidates who appear for these exams are generally from marginalized backgrounds and are graduated with a Non-Professional Degree like BSc, BBA, BA, or MA, etc., due to these courses and lack of skills they are only being dependent on these exams for their jobs even though with such low chances of success. When such a massacre happens the complete morale of the meritorious students gets shattered just because an over-privileged candidate used his money and power to get into the exam in an easy way.
Measures Taken After Paper Leak
In response to rising opposition party criticism, the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) canceled the 67th Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination conducted to hire state public officials on Sunday.
The head of the commission, RK Mahajan, appointed a three-member committee to investigate the paper leak when question sheets appeared on social media during the exam. The panel had 24 hours to produce its initial report. A few hours later, however, the commission announced that the panel had delivered its report and canceled the event. The cancellation of 1,083 center’s across the state was sought by the Bihar Police to have its cyber division investigate the alleged document leak.
The opposition parties of Bihar alleged the Government in power and the board for the leak, despite of the fact that this kind of malpractices in the exam is not new for the Board. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav tweeted “The BPSC name should be changed to ‘Bihar Lok Paper Leak Ayog’ for playing with the life of crores of youth and candidates.”
“A TV broadcaster contacted the commission at 12:06 p.m. via WhatsApp about a question paper leak and reports of it going viral, and by that time the exam had already begun,” Singh said earlier in the day. A senior official reported that the leak of one set of exam questions was confirmed and proved to be accurate. “But after the leak was discovered, there was no choice but to cancel the leak exam,” the official said, adding that the cyber unit would now investigate and identify the perpetrators. BPSC Secretary Juit Singh, who led the three-member investigation panel, stated previously that it looked like the question paper for Set C may have been leaked from one exam center approximately half an hour before the three-hour exam was scheduled to begin at noon.
Many top officials were arrested and enquired regarding the case, the Economic Offenses Unit has arrested the principal of a government institution in Gaya, Bihar, for his role in the BPSC paper leak investigation. Shakti Kumar, the accused principal, also operates a school and has extensive political connections. Kumar was the organization secretary for the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, which later amalgamated with the Janata Dal-United. So, Shakti Kumar is now a Janata Dal leader. During the investigation, the EOU team discovered that the BPSC preliminary exam was administered at Ram Sharan Singh Evening College, with principal Shakti Kumar serving as the examination’s center superintendent. At 10:15 a.m., when the question paper was delivered to the center by a Flying Squad, Kumar scanned the paper and linked it via his cell phone. It is the largest arrest to date in the 67th case of a BPSC paper leak. At 10:30 a.m., Kumar transmitted the scanned documents to Kapil Dev, a clerk at the Central Government office in Prayagraj and a native of Gaya, over WhatsApp. Dev, who participated in the examination, is currently on the run.
- Rahul Kumar (26), a revenue officer assigned to the Bhargama circle in the Araria district, was taken into judicial custody on Saturday after being detained on Friday night. According to EOU officials, Rahul was in frequent contact with Anand Gaurav aka Pintu Yadav, the paper leak case’s mastermind.
Conclusion
The college principal, two instructors, and the B.D.O. who were implicated in the paper leak have been charged with cheating, forgery, and conspiracy and have been placed under arrest. No matter what steps are done against the corrupt officials, this will not bring back the time, work, preparation, and difficulty that the applicants endured in order to reach the exam centers.
BPSC On 8 May 2022, the 67th civil service examination was canceled (preliminary). Before the exam began, the exam paper was distributed via multiple media sources. More than six million candidates registered for the preliminary examination held on May 8. It was formulated to narrow down candidates for 802 positions in Bihar’s public services. Those who passed the preliminary examination would have been able to participate in the second round of exams administered to recruit officials in the middle ranks.
The administration should look after all such situations keeping in view the condition of students preparing at such a high age. In a survey, conducted through Google Form, it was concluded that around 86% of students especially in Bihar are not for a Job that pays well or which gives them acute power due to the designation. They look up just for a job that can somehow improve a bit of the situation of their families living in poverty. Many parents even have to sell their small share of land or property just so that the son/daughter can get educated and improve their livelihood. But all the ambition is squashed just because a wealthy influential person fraudulently was successful in his malpractices. The administration should look after the arrangements of the exam very strictly because this exam not only focuses on the career of a student but also his entire family condition which is just dependent on the selection and non-selection in the exam.
Top 13 Interesting Facts About BPSC
Due to the abundance of Buddhist monasteries (viharas) in the region, This region was named Bihar.
Article 315 of the Indian Constitution addresses the body working for BPSC.
The First law commission to designate a top commission post was drafted in 1854.
The Bihar Police Service Commission came into existence from 1st April 1949.
Ranchi was the initial HQ of BPSC.
On 1st March 1951, the HQ was shifted from Ranchi to Patna.
Shri Rajandhari Sinha was the first chairman of the Bihar Public Service Commission.
Shri Radha Krishna Choudhary was the Commission’s First Secretary.
The head of the commission, RK Mahajan, appointed a three-member committee to investigate the paper leak when question sheets appeared on social media during the exam.
It was the 67th combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination Held by BPSC which was canceled.
A total of 1083 center was allotted for the exam to be conducted.
Due to the abundance of Buddhist monasteries (viharas) in the region, this region was named Bihar.
The post of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) is the highest rank in the Police department that is offered by the BPSC.
