Bhubaneswar: The annual Plus-II examinations, conducted by the Odisha Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), commenced across the state on Friday, an official said.A total of 384,597 students in arts, science, and commerce streams are appearing for the exams, which began at 10 am.The exams are being held in 1,160 centres, most of which are under CCTV surveillance, said CHSE examination controller Ashok Nayak.In addition, the school and mass education department has formed squads at the district, zonal, and CHSE levels to monitor the exams and prevent any irregularities.Nayak said permanent squads of the education department have been deployed in Angul, Keonjhar, and Koraput for the entire duration of the exams to ensure prompt movement to the exam centres in remote areas of the district in case of irregularities. The exams will end on March 20.Candidates have been advised to arrive at the centres 30 minutes before the start of the exam. Question papers will be distributed five minutes before the exam, he said.