The Odisha government was forced to abruptly cancel the crucial Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery (ANM) examination on Friday, mere hours before it was scheduled to begin. This drastic action came following serious allegations by the opposition Congress party that the question paper had been leaked and was circulating on social media nearly three hours before the test was to start.
Exam Scandal Erupts in Assembly
The controversy exploded in the Odisha Legislative Assembly when Congress MLA CS Raazen Ekka raised the issue during a debate focused on unemployment. Ekka alleged that the ANM exam questions were already being shared on various social media platforms around 11 am, a full three hours before the examination's scheduled commencement at 2 pm. This immediate disclosure in the house prompted swift action from the authorities.
Confirming the cancellation, Director of Medical Education and Training, Santosh Kumar Mishra, stated, "Following allegation of question leak, the second-year annual exam was postponed and an inquiry ordered." Official sources indicated that the decision impacted a significant number of aspiring candidates, with more than 10,000 students prepared to appear for the test that afternoon.
Government's Defence and Reform Promises
Responding to the uproar during an adjournment motion debate, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan addressed the allegations. He asserted that the current BJP government has been actively implementing measures to introduce transparency in examinations and recruitment processes across the state.
Harichandan placed the blame for such incidents on the practices of the previous administration. He claimed that recruitment scams and frequent question paper leaks were an unfortunate legacy, a time when a 'syndicate' thrived and leaks were rampant. The minister outlined steps taken by the present government to curb such malpractices, including restricting the rampant outsourcing of examination duties.
Highlighting systemic flaws, Harichandan pointed to past corruption in recruitment drives, such as those for police sub-inspector posts, attributing it to departments conducting their own exams. "That’s a reason the government decided to form Odisha Uniformed Service Staff Selection Board for all uniformed services," he explained, positioning the new board as a centralised solution for fairer recruitment.
Fallout and Next Steps
The last-minute cancellation has caused widespread anxiety and disruption among the thousands of nursing students who had prepared for the exam. While the government has ordered an inquiry into the leak, students now face an uncertain wait for a new examination date. This incident has reignited the debate on the integrity of public recruitment examinations in Odisha and put the government's promised reforms under intense scrutiny. The focus now shifts to the findings of the official inquiry and the mechanisms that will be put in place to prevent a repeat of such a leak, which undermines the futures of countless aspirants.
