NPP protests against SSB, PSC

NPP leaders and workers staging protest in Jammu on Friday. — Excelsior/Rakesh
NPP leaders and workers staging protest in Jammu on Friday. — Excelsior/Rakesh

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 1: Alleging large scale malpractices in the process of selections conducted by various recruitment agencies, including SSB and PSC for Govt jobs, scores of Panthers Party activists led by Harshdev Singh former Minister and Yashpal Kundal State president Young Panthers held a protest demonstration seeking abolition of interviews in the selection process to Govt services, at Exhibition Ground here today.
The NPP activists were carrying banners and placards in hands and raising slogans against the PSC and SSB authorities. They were also demanding that interview system be abolished.
Addressing the media persons on the occasion Harshdev pointed out that while the interviews for Class III and Class IV posts were abolished in rest of the country from January 1 this year, J&K Government remained undecided over the issue. He sought an immediate change in recruitment policy for State Govt jobs by abolition of the interview system and making selections on the basis of academic merit itself. He said that there were several instances where process of interview was abused and merit subverted by awarding disproportionate marks to the tail-enders.
He said that it was established that helmsman who appoint their favourites as members of the recruitment agencies and then use the said members for getting favours for their blue eyed candidates in the viva voce thus vitiating the sanctity of the entire selection process. Besides he said, the intervention of top bureaucrats and Ministers in the selection process has become a routine feature. He said that though the BJP led Govt at the Centre had announced abolition of interview for all non-Gazetted posts but ironically the BJP partnered Govt in J&K issued a recent notification mandating oral test (interview) for all such services which was to be held after written test.
Kundal while seeking the abolition of interview process particularly for class III and Class IV posts said that this would ensure transparency in the selection process besides restoring the faith of unemployed youth in the system. He said that there is no justification for holding interview for the class IV and ministerial staff posts.
Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion included Manu Singh, Rajesh Padgotra, Gagan Pratap, Sham Gorkha, Jagdev Singh and Parveen Kesar.