Mysore/Mysuru: Thousands of candidates appeared for the written exam conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) for appointment as Second Division Assistant (SDA) / Junior Assistant posts in Karnataka Government service, today at 42 centres across the city, with all COVID-19 precautionary and safety measures in place.

The Government had issued the notification for appointment of over 1,200 vacancies of SDA/ Junior Assistant posts earlier this year. The exam, which was initially scheduled to take place on Mar.20 and 21, 2021 was postponed to Sept.18 and 19 due to the  pandemic.

Today, the exam was held at 42 centres, with over 16,000 candidates having registered at Mysuru Centres. The Centres included St. Joseph’s School and Mahajana College in Jayalakshmipuram, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School in Vijayanagar, Government PU College in Vontikoppal, Sri Cauvery Educational Institutions in Kuvempunagar, Gopalaswami College in Lakshmipuram, Maharani’s Arts College for Women, Marimallappa School and Teresian PU College.

The exam had three papers — Compulsory /Mandatory Kannada (Paper-1) of descriptive type for 150 marks, General English/General Kannada (Paper-II) and General Knowledge (Paper-III), both objective type carrying 100 marks each.

Only candidates with a valid online printed hall ticket were allowed to enter the exam hall. The candidates who qualify in today’s written exam will become eligible for further selection process.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. B.S. Manjunathaswamy, who is District-in-Charge for the conduct of exam, visited some of the Centres and supervised the conduct of exams. Mahesh Kumar, a KPSC Official from Bengaluru, functioned as the Nodal Officer for Mysuru Centres.

The City Police had clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Cr.PC in 200 mt.radius of all the Centres for ensuring smooth conduct of exams. Also, all photocopy shops in the vicinity of the Centres were asked to shut down for the day.

Yesterday (Sept.18), Kannada exam for specific category of candidates was held at two centres in city — Maharani’s Arts College for Women on JLB Road and Adhyayana School on Adishakti Road in Shaktinagar, which was attended by over 400 candidates.