7/12/2015

BankersAdda:SBIDescriptive2015:AllAboutVyapam(Scam)

SBIDescriptive2015:AllAboutVyapam(Scam)
DearReaders,
You all must be hearing about a word "VYAPAM" on all the news channels
and might be seeing it on the cover pages of the newspapers as well. You
don't need to wonder at all. You might get this topic in the upcoming
descriptive exam like SBI PO Mains. Being recently in news, it is one hot
topicfordiscussion.It'sseriousnessgotelevatedoncetheunseenpagesof
VYAPAM got turned by special Task Force constituted by Court Authority.
Nowthefirstquestionthatmightariseinyourmindis"WhatisVyapam?"
The answer is, the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board
(MPPBP), the government body responsible for conducting several entrance
tests in the State, is popularly known as Vyapam (Hindi acronym for
VyavsayikPareekshaMandal).Theseentrancetestsareusedforrecruitment
togovernmentjobsandadmissionstoeducationalinstitutesintheState.
The scam, which has been in the news recently, is an admission and
recruitmentscaminvolvingpoliticians,seniorgovernmentofficials,business
personsandothersinMadhyaPradesh.Init,undeservingcandidatesbribed
politiciansandMPPEBofficials,throughmiddlemen,togethighranksinthe
entrance tests or secure jobs. Many of those who discovered these sordid
facts whistleblowers and journalists responsible for unearthing the details
have died in a spate of suspicious incidents. The three main
whistleblowerssocialactivistsDrAnandRaiandAshishChaturvedi,and
ITconsultantPrashantPandeyhavebeenreceivingdeaththreats.
According to varied reports from whistleblowers, the following tricks were
usedbythoseinvolvedinthescam:
i. All the information of the candidate remained the same, except the
photograph. The candidates photograph was replaced by that of the
impersonator and after the exam, it was changed back to the original.
Obviously, the impersonators were brilliant students and they received huge
sumstokeeptheirmouthsshut.
ii.Apersonwasstrategicallymadetositinfrontofthecandidateinquestion.
The person let them copy from his sheet or exchanged the sheet with them
attheendoftheexam.
iii.Thecandidatesinquestionwereaskedtoleavetheiranswersheetsblank
and were given high marks in the exam. Or they were supplied with solved
OMRsheetsbeforetheytooktheexam.
While complaints against irregularities came trickling in from the mid2000s,
the Vyapam issue turned murkier from 200708 onwards. However, it was
onlyin2013thatthelidwasblown.
The Opposition claims that over 77 lakh candidates have paid bribes to
secureseatsandjobs.Hereshowitallbegan:
2007: This was the year when the scent of a scam was sniffed. The MP
Local Fund Audit office found financial and administrative irregularities in
Vyapam.
2009: Activist and doctor from Indore Anand Rai filed a public interest
litigation (PIL) with the MP High Court, alleging foul play in the recruitments
andadmissions.
2011: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan set up an enquiry committee to
lookintothematter.
2013:AnandRaimadestartlingrevelationsthatledtoaseriesofarrests.On
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7/12/2015

BankersAdda:SBIDescriptive2015:AllAboutVyapam(Scam)

theinterveningnightofJuly6and7,thepolicearrested20personswhowere
toimpersonatecandidatesscheduledtoappearonJuly7fortheMPPEB.On
July 1213, the kingpin of the racket, Jagdish Sagar, was arrested. A list
confiscatedfromhimrevealedthenamesof317candidates.MPPEBsexam
controller, Pankaj Trivedi, who vouched for students who had fraudulently
answeredtheexam,sendingletterstoinstitutionheadstoacceptthem,was
later arrested and removed from his post. A Special Task Force of the MP
Police began handling the investigation. The Congress requested the High
CourttoconductaCBIprobe.
2014: The MP High Court rejected the demand for a CBI Inquiry by the
Congress and other parties. In April, 27, students from MGM Institute of
HealthScienceswereexpelledforfraudulentlyclearingthemedicaltestback
in2012.
2015: Accused, witnesses and investigators have been dropping like flies
this year. So far, around 1,900 are in jail. According to latest developments,
though the State Government of Madhya Pradesh wanted to hand over
investigation to the CBI, the MP High Court quashed the request, stating it
willnottakeadecisiontilltheSupremeCourtweighsinonthematter.
Now after all of this, the matter is still under investigation and the final
decisionisstilltobetaken.Ithastogoalongwayandmanypagesofthis
bookisstillunturned.Wehavetowaitandwatchuntillsomeconcretesteps
istobetakenbytheauthority.Inthiscountrywhereunemploymentisoneof
the burning issues, such kind of incident will not only demotivate the young
generationbutwilladverselyaffecttheoutput.

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