A proposed Roadmap to the Recruitment in the State-A brief analysis.

 Generally speaking,youth in our State is largely unemployed to the extent of it being an agony not only to them but their parents also. The opposition was found smart enough to make unemployment of the youth a major electoral issue. This was despite consistent attempt on the other side to downplay it by arguments more than one.As a result of which elections in Bihar held recently revolved around a single major issue of unemployment.The major opposition alliance left no stone unturned to woo the young electorates. Promises of opposition giving government jobs in not less than a million in number became the buzz word.  Under duress of sorts the ruling alliance, too, had to follow suit by way of promising to give 19 lakh jobs. 

The end result of this promise and counter promise was seen by way of alliance in power getting a hair breadth escape from being unseated.

Anyway,it is now amply clear that government cannot enjoy the status quo any more by keeping the issue in abeyance. It will have to act proactively to devise ways and means to create employment of the type what became a major poll issue in the hustings.

In the instant monograph an attempt has been made to explore on how to achieve this task of recruitment for government jobs.

Recruitment is an important HR responsibility. 

I go a step further by saying it is a social obligation thrust upon the State. The future of any state and its development very well depends on the quality of manpower from top to bottom of the hierarchy.

 It is the government machinery from the panchayat to the secretariat that gives policy & planning of the government a visible shape. We also know that it is the outcome of the policy,not the policy itself,which becomes the subject of criticism in the public domain. It is the government machinery that is mostly responsible for most part of the gap between planning and execution.

           A poorly and corruptly implemented scheme owes much to the incapable, inefficient,corrupt and demotivated government machinery. Apart from this the image of the government also suffers for the misconduct or debauchery of its officials. 

         The result is that the honest and diligent members of the bureaucracy are also viewed unscrupulous, undeserving and failing in their role as government servants.

Thus solving unemployment by way of giving government jobs should never mean filling the system with incapable, inefficient and debauch elements who are always on the lookout to profit from the recruitment drive that government contemplates in near future.

Any recruitment exercise is expected to keep these elements at bay.

This goes without saying that recruitments in lakhs is not a simple HR excercise.

The following should be our Recruitment Objectives!

1. The first and foremost objective should be- Come what may no one should be able to exploit this pious exercise to result in backdoor induction of the incompetent by play of power-money to political.

Any other objective should follow after fulfilment of this objective only. 

It should be the special and personal responsibility of the recruiters. 

Past experiences have not been good on this count.The recruiters are supposed to be extra alert and careful. 

One unscrupulous element vitiates the entire set up and earns disrepute to the organisation.

2. The second objective of this drive should be to ensure the selection to the Jobs of only quality aspirants.

3. A recruitment exercise should not be taken recourse to simply because it was a poll issue, rather we are in need of the same. It should never appear to being carried out under pressure. The need of the State as also of the youth should be in the centrestage while going for the process. Needless to say that it should not be a hasty affairs to win brownie points.

All of the above objectives, I hold, is not a one go exercise. It should be well planned and cautiously executed in phases programmed a priori. Hence It will require a lot of home work on part of the agency entrusted with the task. 

For this a concrete roadmap will have to be formulated. 

In my opinion the following could be a part of the roadmap that should spread across a number of time bound programmed activities from assessment of vacancies of all levels to final appointment,induction training and orientation. 

A maximum of 2 years be given for the completion of all recruitment related activities in a programmed way.

(A)* Towards the fulfilment of the above objectives through the above envisaged roadmap, I strongly feel that instead of taking recourse to recruitment right now through the existing agencies it would be a better option to create a new one.

           The establishment of a State Recruitment Agency(SRA) on the pattern of National Recruitment Agency is advocated.It is for reasons of unprofessional modus operandi of current ones to say the least. 

The SRA should be a multi-tier body with provisions of appeal against the act of it  perceived by some who stand dissatisfied by the recruitment results. 

In that way it is envisaged to  have greater power,task and responsibilities than the national recruitment agency(NRA).

The need of establishing SRA is more justified as existing agencies have failed us in more ways than one. It has failed instill confidence among the youth. Some of the examinations conducted by these agencies decades ago are still waiting for results. Corruption and unprofessional attitude with frequent instances of questions leaks etc.mark the functioning of these agencies. 

The SRA should be a body of competent and eminent professionals of national repute under whom should function all departmental heads of the government for the purpose of recruitment. Preferably the SRA be given a legislative cover with a provision to keep judicial interference to the actual minimum for reasons of controlling delay to shun dilatory tactics. For this a provision of appellate authority under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister may be viable proposition to lend credibility to the entire exercise from top to bottom.

The composition of the SRA and its role be clearly chalked out in advance. The reach of the SRA should be down to the panchayat levels for proper assessment of vacancies their types and ways of filling them.

The governing body of the SRA should sit twice in a year to report to the Governor with respect of the progress of the task it is mandates to perform. 

(B)** A State Portal be devised whereupon aspirants for government jobs be given a window to see vacancies and apply for the post shown vacant with required educational and other skills for the post. This facility should be available through out the year.

(C)***A computerized system of roaster be made available for each type of vacancy on the portal. This presupposes a fully functional Human Resources Information System (HRIS).Our government has already initiated exercise in this direction by way of HRMS in all offices of the government.

(D)****All examinations for class IV and III  of all categories be conducted computer based to do away with the existing pen and paper type or OMR assisted method of organising it.

(E)***** No recruitment should be taken recourse to by way of bypassing the SRA route no matter how contingent the situation may appear to be.

Similarly no vacancy be left unreported on the portal without suitable punishment for this malfeasance. 

(F)****** Engaging a person on daily wages should be proscribed in the most strict sense of terms. This has been found to be a concealed method of giving one an opportunity of getting a government jobs temporarily made permanent afterwards. The officers responsible for this should be severely dealt with.

(G)******* Even for employment in public sector entities of the state, the companies should be brought under the control in so far as they provide employment to their organisation. The SRA score be made mandatory for employment in private or public sector companies also.

                    These propositions may appear to be naive or impractical to some claiming to be or viewed as expert in the field;nevertheless discussion is being made hereby open ended.

Anyone can add to or rescind the proposition after a rational thinking on the matter. 

The only condition is that we should think for the betterment of the both- that is the system as well as the ones who are going to be the part of it.

R.R.Prabhakar.

30.11.2020.