New Delhi: A high-level panel of IAS officers set up by the Narendra Modi administration to reform governance has recycled an ambitious but unrealised idea from the NDA’s first term to suggest a professional exam that could overhaul government recruitment, ThePrint has learnt.
In its first term, the Modi government nearly launched a common preliminary exam for recruitment to junior-level, or Group-C, government posts but held back at the last minute.
The panel on governance reform has now suggested a common preliminary exam for recruitment to all Group B, Group C and Group D posts, a government official familiar with the matter said.
Appointments made by the Union Public Service Commission, which oversees recruitment to Group A and some Group B posts, would not be a part of the proposed exam, the official added.
Groups B, C and D form the second, third and fourth levels of the four-tier government hierarchy.
Also read: There’s a drop in Muslims clearing UPSC exam this year, but it’s not all bad news
The proposed common entrance test would be on the lines of the GRE, a mandatory test for admissions to courses at the Master’s level and above in the US and a few other countries, the government official said.
Currently, apart from the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) that oversees several Group B and Group C recruitments across various ministries and departments, agencies like the Railways Recruitment Board, LIC, Department of Posts, etc hold their own exams to hire staff, an exercise that stretches the already strained manpower and resources.
All these exams are conducted at three levels – for those who have cleared Class X, for Class XII passouts, and for graduates.
The move is expected to spare candidates the hassle of taking several exams for different agencies.
“Those who qualify the common entrance test will then sit for tests of the respective departments for which they had applied,” the official said. “The departments, if they want, can also pick candidates who qualify the CET directly and train them on the job.”
This is expected to save crores of candidates money and time. Every year, nearly 4 crore candidates across all levels apply for the screening exams conducted by the SSC, while 60 lakh apply for the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection exam and nearly 1.4 crore for the Railway Recruitment Board test. A common test will also help optimise the manpower of different recruiting agencies.
Another government official said it would simplify the whole process. “It’s in line with the PM’s mantra of ease of living,” the official said. “It was felt that there is no point in making a candidate go through multiple layers of selection for the post of a lineman or a postman. These jobs do not require high level of technical expertise.”
‘Modalities yet to be worked out’
The group, headed by Information & Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare, has 12 secretaries from central ministries and departments. One of the 10 panels of IAS officers and scientists overseeing reform blueprints for different areas, it will submit its final recommendations to the Prime Minister by mid-July.
The group of secretaries, however, is yet to thrash out the modalities of how the proposal will be implemented, the second official ThePrint spoke to said. “It’s early days. This is one of the main suggestions that has come up. Details will have to be worked out if the proposal gets the green signal,” the official added.
Implementing the proposal, however, will be easier said than done. ThePrint had reported in March how the government’s 2018 bid to launch a common test for Group-C jobs failed in the absence of a consensus among stakeholders and amid fund concerns raised by the SSC. The proposal was first mooted in 2017.
Also read: This madrasa graduate is in line to be IAS, IPS officer, says it helped him crack UPSC exam