UP Government Needs 368 Peons – 23 lakh Candidates Apply! – To understand how best to tackle the deluge of applications for the post, the government is consulting experts. If so many candidates are to be interviewed, selection could take four years, say officials.
For 368 vacant positions of peons at the Vidhan Sabha Sachivalay or state assembly in Lucknow, more than 23 lakh people have applied. Of the total 368 posts, 268 are for general category and the rest are for SC, ST and other reserved categories in the age group of 18 to 40 years. What is even more shocking is that over two lakh applicants are at least graduate with B.Tech, B.Sc, M.Sc and M.Com degrees. Applications also include 255 candidates with a Ph.D degree in hand.
Interestingly, the eligibility criteria for the job are a pass in the fifth standard and the ability to ride a bicycle, not even a written exam is needed. To understand how best to tackle the deluge of applications for the post, the government is consulting experts. If so many candidates are to be interviewed, selection could take four years, say officials.
According to Ambika Chaudhary, Minister in Uttar Pradesh government, the process of recruitment may be changed. “We may change the process of recruitment in this extraordinary situation as it will take about four years to complete the process of hiring just 368 peons, if one were to interview the 23 lakh candidates. We may ask for fresh applications with a new recruitment process,” the Minister said.
However, Candidates have their reason for applying. “It’s better to work as a peon than to roam without a job,” said Alok, an applicant who holds a PhD degree. Graduate Ratan Yadav added, “there is nothing wrong in taking up menial work.”
Rekha Verma, another applicant, said that it was better to serve water to officers than to lead a life of dependency. “If you are jobless, you eventually seek help from relatives and friend… but for how long can one survive on the kindness of well-wishers,” she said.
Source: The Hindu