Students of BJB Autonomous College appear for the civil service scholarship exam in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 18: The higher education department has launched a special drive to encourage students to appear for the civil services examinations.

As part of the drive, the department has directed all colleges in the twin cities to organise a series of tests and shortlist candidates. Fifteen meritorious students will be offered a scholarship of Rs 1 lakh.

The amount has been sponsored by the LC Institute of Social and Applied Sciences, which trains students for IAS and other government services.

The drive started at BJB Autonomous College here today with more than 200 students appearing for the tests.

“There will be three rounds of tests following which 15 students will be selected. The next venues will be Rajdhani College on November 22 and Ramadevi College on November 24,” said director of the institute Linu Chayani.

About 10,000 candidates from Odisha appear for the civil service examinations every year. However, barely 15 qualify. Of the 10,000 candidates who appear for the preliminary examination, about 100 get selected for the mains. Of these, only 15 to 20 clear the interview.

“The state’s performance in the civil services hasn’t been very good. Lack of confidence and delay in preparation are important reasons,” said Chayani.

Lack of both written and spoken communication skills also are also factors responsible for the poor results, she said.

“Students are easily drawn to professional courses nowadays. For some reason, the younger generation is reluctant to appear for these exams. With so many options available, this field does not appear glamorous to them,” said Mrutyunjay Das, a faculty member. However, some students appeared keen about taking the tests. “It’s a rare chance to appear for tests like these. If I’m lucky, I will definitely join the programme and make use of the scholarship. What could be better than serving the nation and bringing about development?” asked Shobna Bal, a student who’s taking the tests.