Online test for scientists in BIS cancelled, to impact 1 lakh applicants

NEW DELHI: The government has directed the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to cancel its online written test for recruitment of 109 posts of scientists, which is scheduled for Sunday. The consumer affairs ministry issued the direction on Friday after it received a report from the chief vigilance officer (CVO) citing some alleged anomalies in the recruitment process.

About one lakh applicants were scheduled to appear in the online test. BIS officials said they have no option but to cancel the test since it was a direction from the ministry adding that they were not flouting any rule.

The CVO has objected to the selection of the agency for carrying out the test without bidding. The report mentioned how in most of the PSUs and autonomous bodies, applicants with Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) score are directly called for interview and recruitment is done.

But BIS sources said the agency recruited had carried out the tests four times in the past eight years and has good track record.

The CVO has also pointed out that the human resource department of BIS was unaware about any audit for security features for the examination software that the agency will use for conducting the online test.

The report cited how there was 50-50 weightage for online test and group discussion/ interview. It pointed out how this was not desirable since the proposed BIS regulations give only 20% weightage for interview, a norm followed by UPSC and other central PSUs.

However, BIS officials said the weightage norm was as per the existing BIS Rules. “The process of notifying new rules will take another six months. Could we wait for this at a time when we have shortage of manpower?” an official asked. Sources also said that BIS was open to rework the weightage mechanism to ensure only 15% mark is kept for interview. But this did not satisfy the ministry resulting in cancellation of the test.

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