Now, merit only way to success in OPSC exams
Dr Satyajit Mohanty belongs to the 1988 batch of Indian Police Service and was allotted Odisha Cadre. He climbed the hierarchical ladder and became the DG of Prisons and Correctional Services, Fire and Civil Defence Department, DGP Intelligence and Commandant General. He was Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack. He was awarded PhD in Law by the National Law University, Odisha. He has authored/co-authored five books on professional subjects. He is a member of professional bodies like India Police Foundation and Indian Institute of Public Administration. He is a recipient of Police (Antrik Suraksha Seva) Medal, Police Medal for Meritorious Service and President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. He is acclaimed for innovative leadership and institutional reforms. Currently, he is Chairman of the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC)from March 2021. In an interview to The Pioneer, Mohanty spoke to Sugyan Choudhury on many issues concerning the OPSC.
How did you choose your career in the IPS?
As IAS is everyone’s top priority, I was trying for it. It is said that if you aim at the stars, you land on the Himalayas. While trying for IAS, I landed on IPS domain.
What was your initial feeling when you wore the uniform?
The uniform gave me a sense of pride intertwined with responsibility. The higher you go as a police officer, the more you bag the medals, the more the responsibility rests on your head. People also expect a great deal like justice and fair play from senior officers. Thus, uniform always symbolised to me not only the pride but also a sense of responsibility that goaded me from morning to midnight.
What were the challenges you have confronted during your career?
The job of a police officer is often found challenging, but I believe pleasure lies in facing challenges and it becomes doubled while overcoming them. As SP of Cuttack, I witnessed the Super Cyclone of 1999 and confronted a lot of problems and finally got them resolved. During my tenure as police commissioner, world hockey cup was held at the Kalinga stadium. The security arrangement, hassle-free travel for overseas players, crowd management was indeed flawless. While I was at headquarters, I had also acted as a nodal officer for the grand Nabakalebar that too was a grand success.
Often ideal police officers invite the vengeful ire of ugly politicians. Do you have any such experience?
(Laughter) I can neither admit it nor deny it. Of course, I must say yes to such a question. But such incidence of transfer from one place to another even against my will have never given me a feeling of letdown. This is simple because I did not demand that I continue at a particular place. I knew I can work at any place in Odisha or can go on Central deputation to any place in India. With charity to all and malice to none, I must acknowledge that such situations have further strengthened me.
What were your contributions while heading the police administration as DG (Fire)?
Each fire station today is acting as multi-hazard disaster response centre. There are 300 fire stations in Odisha now and 2500 trained firemen and officers are ready to meet any challenge and they are all equipped. They are also working in tandem with ODRAF men when the occasion so demands. From Super Cyclone 1999 to Fani of 2019, I was actively involved in the disaster response sector and a sea change has taken place over these two decades. Our firemen have also earned kudos for Odisha while working in West Bengal during Amphan and discharging services in Kerala during high floods. We have created a disaster response system that is second to none in India.
How did you feel after joining as the OPSC Chairman?
I indeed felt happy that the Government has its trust in my capability as an administrator.
What are the reforms you have undertaken in the OPSC?
After I joined, I noticed that a lot of areas of OPSC have already undergone through automation. It was a good sign for me. At the outset, I tried to provide a one-year programme for the aspiring candidates, who would be aware about their examination schedules one year before. Previously, the candidates were getting readied after receiving one-month notice prior to commencement of their examination, which is not at all fair. Now, we are able to give the schedule of the months in a one-year programme ahead of their examination. Shortly within a year or two, the OPSC would be able to provide the examination dates. This is an achievement in the seven-decade history of OPSC. Secondly, we have been trying to recruit record number of candidates each year and you will be glad to know that despite the constraints of Covid, 2,300 candidates were recruited last year. This year, we are trying to augment the number. Besides, we are giving importance to objective-approach, merit-based selection and transparency in the recruitment process. Using IT, we are trying further to revolutionise the system of recruitment by complete automation enabling OPSC to have minimal physical contact with the candidates. The less the physical contact, the more the transparency in the recruitment process shall be achieved.
Some people try to adopt a shortcut to get through the OPSC examinations. What’s your response?
This is indeed true. Some people think they can get through OPSC examination by contacts, through bribery or through any other corrupt means. This is simply because we are living in times of acute unemployment problems. I have issued notices through our website to make them well-aware regarding the complete procedure of transparency, objectivity and meritocracy prevailing supreme in OPSC. Some unscrupulous elements try to take advantage of the situation by exploiting gullible persons. We have issued cautions against them and are going to release advertisements to the effect in various newspapers. We are making efforts to make everyone aware that merit is the only way to success in OPSC-conducted examinations.
Have you personally come across any such situation during your tenure?
Yes, of course. I have come across such situations but have overcome them. But these situations have occurred few and far between. Those who came and approached me, I have simply told them without the slightest hesitation and with all humility that they should rely on merit as such shortcuts are an impossible bargain in these days of total automation and transparency reigning supreme in present-day OPSC.