Narendra Modi's announcement on job interviews kicks up row

New Delhi/ Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of doing away with the requirement of interviews for lesser non-gazetted Central government jobs drew accusations of violation of the model code for elections and attempts at putting an end to the reservation policy.

Bihar's anti-BJP grand alliance alleged that Modi's announcement, made at a time when the Assembly polls are underway, not only violated the model code of conduct but would also lead to "effective implementation" of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's call for a review of quotas.

No interviews for non-gazetted govt jobs :

From January 1 next year, there will be no requirement of interview for Group D,C and B non-gazetted posts in central government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Sunday as part of efforts to put an end to the menace of corruption in jobs.

In his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he recalled that he had suggested in his Independence Day address that the practice of holding interviews for recruitment at lower levels in governments could be done away with.

“The government has completed the entire process to do away with interviews for lower rank jobs. There will be no requirement of interview for Group D,C and B non-gazatted posts in central government. It will come into effect from January 1, 2016,” Modi said.

He said the practice was being abolished since it bred corruption and the poor people were being looted by ‘dalals’. “People were getting robbed for getting employment and even when they could not get a job. It often crossed my mind as to why there was the need for an interview for small jobs.

I have never heard of a physcologist who can evaluate a person during an interview of one to two minutes,” Modi said. He said abolition of the practice will particularly help the poor who would have to resort to “recommendations” or fall prey to brokers who made way with their money.

In his Independence Day speech, Modi had said he had seen youth often looking for ‘sifarish’ (recommendation) after getting an interview call. “Even poor widows are compelled to look for recommendations for interview of their children,” he had said then.

Recently, Minister for Personnel Jitendra Singh had written a letter to all Chief Ministers asking them to identify such posts which could be exempted from interviews. “The governments view is that the interviews should be discontinued for recruitment to junior level posts where personality or skill assessment is not absolutely required.