Dr Jitendra Singh asks States to expedite process of abolishing interviews

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has asked the State Governments to expedite the process of abolition of interviews for recruitment to all such government jobs where it is not essential. Addressing a one-day workshop of Principal Secretaries of General Administration Department (GAD) / Personnel from different States and Union Territories, here today, Dr Jitendra Singh observed that soon after the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi made an announcement to this effect on Independence Day from the ramparts of Red Fort, the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) had immediately moved on a fast track and fixed for itself the deadline of December 31, 2015 to abolish the practice of conducting interview for appointment to Group ‘B’ and Group ‘C’ posts in various Ministries/Department and other organizations including Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Central Government. On September 4, 2015, Secretary DoPT wrote to the Chief Secretaries of all the States and this was followed by a two-day Workshop in the national capital on September 8-9, 2015. Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that he had personally written D.O.Letters to Chief Ministers of all the States on September 29, 2015 requesting them to take the lead in carrying forward this initiative. While some of the States have already made a big headway in this exercise, there are other States which seem slow in response, but were expected to take the matter seriously and on fast track, he said. In his letter to the Chief Ministers, he had also requested to involve Public Service Commissions and other recruiting agencies in their respective States to identify the posts for which interview can be discontinued, he added. Dr Jitendra Singh said the objective behind the abolition of interview for appointments where it is not required was to ensure more objective selection in a transparent manner without causing disadvantage to poor or resourceless aspirants. This is one of the several path-breaking decisions taken by the DoPT during the last 17 months, which also include the abolition of attestation of certificates with introduction of self-attestation of certificates and the decision to revisit/revise the pattern and syllabus of IAS/Civil Services Examination, he added. Secretary DoPT Shri Sanjay Kothari and other senior officers of DoPT conducted the various sessions of the day-long workshop. *** KSD/PK (Release ID :130535)