Editor,
It’s really frustrating to see that the Meghalaya Public Service Commission which is a Commission that is supposed to give hope to job seekers of our state is instead becoming the very reason so many are losing hope. Apart from recruiting candidates, is MPSC also trying to loot aspirants indirectly? Are the people setting the question papers and releasing the answer keys unqualified, or are these just careless mistakes? The mistakes in question papers and the inconsistencies in answer keys are too frequent to be ignored.
As someone who has written many MPSC exams, I can’t even trust the question paper itself. Sometimes I sit there wondering “Am I just confused, or is the question itself wrong?” When correct options are not given, it wastes so much of our precious time. We end up solving the same problem three, four times, only to realize the question itself is flawed.
And let’s talk about the answer keys; it almost feels like the question setters themselves don’t know the answers and just copy-paste the answers. The answer keys often raise more doubts than they clear. For example, in the LDA under the Meghalaya (C) Secretariat (May 2025) exam, some English questions were straight repeats from old papers. But some questions had different answers in the old keys compared to the new ones. How does that even happen? How can the same question be correct before but suddenly incorrect now? Is it just a careless mistake, or is it a tactic to make money from aspirants filing representations?
But calling it a “mistake” feels too generous, because this has happened more than once. If the Commission really wants to make money, then just increase the application fee openly. If the problem lies with question setters, then it’s high time they replaced the question setters. And if it really is just a mistake, then please at least cross-check everything properly before conducting exams and releasing answer keys. And I suggest that the cut offs marks and the final answer keys be released before conducting the personal interview to ensure transparency.
And cheating in government recruitment exams is no longer a whispered rumour in Meghalaya but it is happening in plain sight. Some candidates still manage to sneak electronic gadgets into exam halls. This is unacceptable. In some places (especially in Jaiñtia Hills), we’ve already heard of candidates using phones during various exams. Now that more centres across the state are included for MPSC exams, how is it fair that hardworking students have to compete against people who are literally Googling answers during the exam?
And what are the invigilators doing? Many of them just sit on a chair after signing the attendance, instead of walking around the room. They close their eyes to the malpractice happening right in front of them. This is not just carelessness. It is giving cheaters a free license to destroy fairness.
MPSC please ban the internet during exam hours, or make sure invigilators actually do their job by ensuring they actively monitor the rooms. And if someone is caught, don’t just take away their paper and reward them with a fresh answer sheet. Ban them from writing exams for 2-3 years; that’s the only real way to stop this nonsense.
So yes, I’m frustrated. And I know I’m not the only one. MPSC, we are not asking for miracles. We’re genuinely requesting transparency, fairness and accountability. We, the aspirants, should never have to doubt whether we failed because we didn’t study hard enough and truly didn’t deserve the job, or because someone else carelessly, or deliberately, snatched away what was rightfully ours by following unfair practices beyond our control. By
Yours etc.,
An Aspirant.
Name withheld on request
Via email
Humble Plea for Justice and Compassion
Editor,
Through your esteemed daily, I wish to draw attention to the tragic plight of the family of the late Madhusudhan Adhikari, who served sincerely as a peon at Gorkha Deficit U.P. School, Tura. After retiring on 31st May 2025, he complied with official procedures and deposited his entire CPF amount into the government account, fully trusting that his pension and retirement benefits would soon reach him. Sadly, before these could materialize, he breathed his last on 16th July 2025 at GNRC Hospital, Guwahati.
What makes this tragedy more unbearable is the helpless condition in which his widow now finds herself. During his illness, with no savings or financial cushion, she had to borrow heavily for his treatment. Today, while still mourning her husband, she struggles under the crushing burden of debt and the daily hardships of survival.
This is not an isolated case but a systemic issue that can affect any retiring employee. The period between retirement and the release of benefits often becomes a time of uncertainty and suffering. Families, instead of enjoying security after decades of service, are left in distress—facing medical emergencies, financial ruin, and emotional trauma. Retirement benefits are not a luxury but a rightful due earned through years of hard and honest work. When delayed, they defeat the very purpose for which they exist.
Late Mr. Adhikari served with quiet dedication, like countless other employees whose contributions may not make headlines but keep the system running. To allow his family to suffer in this manner is not just an administrative lapse—it is a moral failure. Compassion and justice demand that his pension and dues be released without delay. Doing so would not only provide urgent relief to his widow but also send a strong message of reassurance to thousands of other employees nearing retirement: that their lifelong service will not be forgotten at their most vulnerable hour.
I therefore respectfully appeal to the concerned authorities to treat this case with urgency, fairness, and human sensitivity. Extending timely assistance to the late employee’s family would be a fitting tribute to his life of service and a step towards making governance truly people-centred and humane.
Yours etc.,
Jairaj Chhetry
Tura
Politics of Division
Editor,
The recent statement made by the Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) appealing for a Khasi/ Jaintia Chief Minister is nonsensical and lacks logic. I wonder on what basis this organisation is making this illogical demand and on whose mandate.
Meghalaya is a state which is represented by three major tribes all of them are equally represented in every aspect of Government (Legislative, Executive & Judiciary) I feel that such demand is nothing more than a political stunt to create a division maybe in the inner circles of the Government and also attempts to create division within the different tribes of the state which may lead to further division in a small state like ours or even create a bad precedence in the future
Pressure groups are supposed to act as watchdogs of the people and raise issues regarding policies that are detrimental towards the general population of the state but this is the first time I am seeing an non-elected body like the HITO trying to intervene in the democratic process of the state by soliciting for a particular community.
Yours etc.,
K. Warjri,
Via email
