By Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar, Feb 26 : Thirteen papers have been leaked in the Gujarat government's competitive exams in the last decade. On Thursday, the state assembly passed "The Gujarat Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2023," which has stringent provisions like a minimum of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 crore for the culprits. The candidates and their families face social and economic stress when they sit for such competitive exams, the papers of which are leaked and the exams cancelled. On January 29, the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board (GPSSB) cancelled the junior clerk exams, after its paper was leaked. Some 9 lakh candidates had filled the forms for 1150 posts. The following day, on January 30, Payal Karsanbhai Baraiya, a 21-year-old Primary Teacher Certificate holder, consumed poison. She died in a hospital in Bhavnagar on February 12. "She had been preparing for the junior clerk exams for the last six months, for which my parents had put her in coaching classes in Bhavnagar; the exam cancellation means an increase in expenses and stress; whether she will be able to clear the exam or not, will she be able to fulfil her parents' aspirations, this worry must have led her to take the extreme step," believes Ashish Baraiya, the deceased's younger brother. Ashish added, "We have some agricultural land, but my sister had high hopes of getting a government job which meant social security for her and the family, but the system failed her." She is not alone. Many candidates experience similar trauma, stress and depression but may be unable to express it, according to Nikunj Patel, an aspiring candidate from Gandhinagar. "I am the son of a retired government employee, and my family has spent thousands of rupees on private coaching classes so that I can pass the exams and get a government job," he explained, adding that "every time a paper leaks, it is not only traumatic but discourages candidates, demoralizes youths and their family members. The biggest challenge it brings with it is fear, whether I will be able to clear and meet my parents' expectations." Sandip Vasava from South Gujarat was working with a private company in an industrial estate. Six months before the competitive exams, he left the private job and started preparing for the exams. He had thought that he would meet the family expenses from saving money for a few months, and after the exams, he could again take a private job. Now that the exams have been postponed, he is in a quandary. According to social worker and youth leader Yuvrajsinh Jadeja, Gujarati youth are under extreme pressure to get a government job for two reasons: First, for financial security as there is no security in private employment; and second, to find a good bride or groom because if you don't have a government job, families are reluctant to agree to the marriage. Explaining the capital cost per exam per student, Jadeja stated that if a candidate is not from a major city, he must get a room on rent, admission into coaching classes, library fees, pay the food bill, and expenses on books etc. On an average, parents must spend anywhere from Rs 60,000 to Rs 75,000 per month, with the expenses increasing with each delay and postponement of the exams. The only way to help the youths and their families is for the state government to hire good scholars on various subjects, post their lectures online for candidates to access, and arrange for online interaction sessions with subject experts to relieve the candidates and their families of the financial burden, says a social worker. /IANS