Sought clarification from TNPSC member secretary: PTR

CHENNAI: State Finance cum Human Resources Development Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Monday said that the government has sought a detailed clarification from the commission’s member secretary regarding the inordinate frequency of persons passing from the same examination centre and distribution of selected candidates in all category of exams across the State in the past and present.

Replying to a motion moved by Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami among others during the Zero Hour in the State Assembly, Thiaga Rajan said that there was no relation between the information available on public domain and the information shared with him (by TNPSC) regarding Group IV recruitment results. Pointing out that Tenkasi district only had eight examination centres, the minister clarified that of first 500 rank holders in the recent group IV recruitment, 27 were from the eight centres in Tenkasi.

Among the first 1,000 and 10,000 ranks holders, about 45 and 397 were from the Tenkasi centres respectively, he added, seeking to allay the doubts about the alleged irregularities in the recent TNPSC Group II and IV recruitments.

Adding that a person who is said to have advertised that about 2,000 selected candidates were from his coaching institute is learnt to have told that he runs coaching centres in different names in several districts, Thiaga Raja said that the government does not have details regarding who owns which coaching centre in the state.

Clarifying that the ranking difference of same persons for typists and junior assistant posts was natural owing to technological qualification required and not required for the two posts, the minister said that information available with him suggest that about 29,572 persons took tests for around 1,000 Land Surveyor posts (Group II). “I can only say which Exam center they took the tests from. I don’t know where they underwent coaching. Information available with me shows that among the first 500 rank holders, 200 people had taken tests from the same centre in Karaikudi. Among the first 1,000 ranks and 2,000 ranks, 377 and 615 are from the same centre. We send counselling invitations to 3,000 people for 1,000 posts. Hence, the 700 persons could be among the 3,000 and not 1,000.

Informing the House that the he has asked the Commission to furnish two additional information, including details of inordinate frequency of person passing from the said examination centre or other centres in a similar fashion during the last seven years, Thiaga Raja said, “I have asked the member secretary of TNPSC to thoroughly examine and provide a detailed clarification on similarity or difference in terms of district-wise and examination centre-wise distribution of selected candidates in the past and present for all exams.”