Pune: The Maharashtra Forest Service Examination (MFSE) held at various centres across the city on Sunday, had glitches as some candidates at a couple of centres were not allowed to appear for the examination.
These students were reportedly not allowed to enter the examination hall as they didn’t possess a second identity proof along with the Aadhaar card.
The admit cards/ hall tickets for the examination states that the candidates must come with two ID proofs out of either Aadhaar card, voter’s ID, PAN card or driving licence.
One such candidate, on condition of anonymity, said, “When I got my ID card around 10 to 15 days before the examination, it was then that I came to know that we need to carry two ID proofs. I presently do not have any of the above-mentioned identity cards. I did have my college identity card but that was not accepted. I saw at least five to six more students who were not allowed in my centre, Ahilyadevi Holkar School in Shaniwar Peth.”
She added, “I found out that my friends who were giving the examination at other centres in the city did not face this issue, and were allowed to give the examination though they didn’t have any other ID card apart from Aadhaar card.”
She added, “My voter ID card is still in the making. I can’t drive, so I don’t have a driving licence. I had a little problem with my Aadhaar card which I recently got resolved, due to which I couldn’t make a PAN card. So does that mean I wouldn’t be allowed to answer the examination despite having my Aadhaar card?”
She said centre heads also seemed quite disoriented as they first allowed a few students to enter with their bank passbooks as ID cards, while it was not included in the list of valid ID proofs on the hall ticket, and later made them come out saying it’s not allowed.
Reacting to the issue, Satish Gore of National Students Union of India (NSUI) questioned that while AADHAR has been made mandatory everywhere, why does the government need another ID proof to back it up?
“The government is so keen on making Aadhaar card compulsory for each and everything, and the students are also made to produce it for every examination, starting from SSC/HSC exams. If the Aadhaar card is so important, why aren’t they enough? This is just another way of harassing the students,” Gore said.
