Madhya Pradesh Vyapam goes digital to ensure transparency, launches app

Bhopal: With the Vyapam scam denting its image, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has decided to digitise the working of the Professional Examination Board to make it more transparent even as a mobile App has now been launched for the convenience of examinees.

"The entire functioning of Vyapam (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal) will be made transparent and digital," state Technical and Higher Education Minister Umashankar Gupta said, on Thursday, after launching the App for online examinations conducted by Vyapam.

The App has been developed under the 'Digital India' programme, the minister said in the presence of Vyapam Chairman Madan Mohan Upadhyay.

"The launch of the Vyapam App is a big leap towards 'Digital India'. Through it, we can make all Vyapam exams convenient and examinees can complete the entire process online without any difficulty," Gupta said.

Application forms, aspirants' details, dates of various exams, question answer banks, etc. will be available on the App, which will also allow download of admit cards, he said.

Earlier, the facility of image scanner was also made available for Vyapam.

The admission test of PAHUT (Pre-Ayurvedic, Homoeopathy and Unani Test) will be held using this technique on August 30, 2015, Upadhyay said. It will be the first online test of Vyapam. As compared to last year, the Board is conducting double the number of exams - totalling 31 - this year, he said.

Admissions will be made through Vyapam in 2015 for over 95,250 seats in various courses and recruitment will be made against 60,700 government vacancies in the state, Upadhyay added.

Supreme Court had, on Thursday, ordered transfer of the probe into all Vyapam scam cases and the deaths allegedly linked to it to CBI and sought the response of Madhya Pradesh government on why an FIR should not be lodged against the governor of the state for his purported involvement in the scandal.

The opposition has alleged that 49 persons linked to the Vyapam scam, a massive admissions and recruitment scandal, have died under mysterious circumstances, a claim refuted by the state government.

The official figure of deaths is 25, which the state government says includes suicides, accidents and some other unnatural deaths.