Free-and-fair recruitment: BJP-ruled states to take a cue from Assam

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The BJP-ruled states of the country are set to take a cue from the Assam government, which has successfully put in place a transparent recruitment mechanism in the state.

The matter figured prominently at the recently held conclave of the chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states in New Delhi. All and sundry at the meeting lauded the Assam government for its successful recruitment of around one lakh candidates in the past three years without any controversy or resentment.

According to sources, the conclave requested the Assam Chief Minister to give a presentation as to how his government recruited one lakh candidates without any controversy or resentment. So much so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the Central government officials to take details from the Assam government as to how they could accomplish the recruitment process so well. The meeting even requested that the Assam Chief Minister make his top officials present demonstrations in the BJP-ruled states on free and fair recruitment.

In the past three years, the Assam government filled up almost one lakh vacant posts in various departments with the involvement of centralised recruitment boards for similar posts in all departments. The mechanism delivered results without any complaint, as the writ of the Chief Minister—the government would tolerate no sort of illegality in the recruitment process—was among those involved in the recruitment process.

The situation was quite different in terms of recruitment in the state in the past few years. Right from examinations conducted by the APSC (Assam Public Service Commission) to the recruitment of fourth grade posts, corruption in the form of bribery and nepotism was all pervading the state. When the departments conducted examinations to fill up their vacant posts, as often as not, ministers, MLAs, and top bureaucrats did use their influence to provide jobs to their near and dear ones, depriving deserving candidates. What was prevalent in the APSC is glaringly visible now that the Court has sentenced former APSC chairman Rakesh Paul to 14 years of imprisonment on July 29, 2024.

Also read: Assam: Guwahati Court Sentences APSC Officials in Recruitment Scam (sentinelassam.com)

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