OSSSC faces heat over new exam dates row

The controversy surrounding the Combined Recruitment Examination (CRE) 2023 (IV), conducted by the Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC), has deepened with the announcement of revised main exam dates.

- ARINDAM GANGULY, OP

The recruitment drive — for posts like Revenue Inspector (RI), Assistant Revenue Inspector (ARI), Amin, ICDS Supervisor, and Statistical Field Surveyor (SFS) — will now be held from August 1 to early September 2025.

Concerns over the integrity of the recruitment process are not new. Last year, hundreds of aspirants staged protests in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, alleging major irregularities in the preliminary exams conducted by OSSSC. Held between September 20 and October 20, 2024, the exams drew flak for being outsourced to a blacklisted private firm and conducted at privately-run cyber cafes and computer centers.

Adding fuel to the fire, OSSSC declared that all candidates—except nine caught cheating— were qualified to sit for the main exam. This blanket decision has sparked sharp criticism from aspirants and civil society groups, who question its alignment with merit-based and transparent recruitment principles.