Under PSC, even first-rank holders cannot be sure of a job

This is the third part of the Malayala Manorama editorial series "PSC's List of Shame". Read Part 1 and Part 2.

The current government claims it has made more appointments than the previous government. That would need some convincing given that even candidates who have secured first ranks are still waiting for a job. So, there is something wrong with the system and the million-dollar question is how to set it right.

Here are seven people who competed with thousands and secured the first rank. Even after that, there is no hint about when their wait for a government job will end. There are many people like this on many PSC lists.

1. Dr Abdul Shukoor

Rank: 1 | List: Lecturer in Natural Science

Effective from: January 31, 2018 | Expires: January 31, 2021

(He had to knock on many doors to get the vacancy at Govt Brennan Training College. But, the PSC Advice Memo has not yet been issued. In the meantime, there are moves to fill the vacancy by appointing a  temporary teacher.)

2. K Bushra Beevi (30)

Rank: 1 | List: Panchayat Librarian Grade 4, Malappuram.

Effective from: August 27, 2019 | Expires: August 26, 2022.

3. V Saraswathi Devi (31)

Rank: 1 | List: HSA Sanskrit (Part-Time), Pathanamthitta

Effective from: December 12, 2017 | Expires: December 12, 2020.

4. Shiji S Rajan (45)

Rank: 1 | List: HSA Hindi (Part-Time), Idukki

Effective from: May 3, 2019 | Expires: May 3, 2021

5. M M Chithra (38)

Rank: 1 | List: HSA Natural Science (Ernakulam)

Effective from: June 2018 | Expires: June 2021

6. A Rajila (30)

Rank: 1 | List: Homeopathy Nurse Grade 2, Palakkad

Effective from: December 13, 2017 | Expires: December 13, 2020

7. E K Ajith

Rank: 6 (As the top 5 rank holders already have a government job, Ajith is the first person to be appointed from the list.)

List: Fireman Driver-cum-Operator.

Effective from: October 10, 2019 | Expires: October 10, 2020

(The court stayed the list within two months of its publication based on complaints regarding vacancies made by those from the previous rank list. The stay continues as the government has not responded. The list will expire in two months.)

These seven candidates exemplify the thousands of candidates who have studied hard for years and passed the exam but are still made to wait for a government job. While the government says it cannot give appointments to everyone on the rank list, many candidates wonder of what use is the rank list and what is the point of conducting exams by spending lakhs of rupees if even those ranked first cannot be assured of a job.

The uncertainty facing the candidates is because of the indifference of the officials and authorities concerned.

Not reporting vacancies in time, concealing details about vacancies for transfers, etc, making temporary appointments permanent, not making timely decisions, irregularity in dependents’ appointments — it is a long list of reasons that have put paid to a deserving candidate’s toil for a government job.

No vacancies, but temporary appointments galore

The number of temporary appointments in the Forest Department is a great travesty to the PSC and the Forest Reserve/Depot Watcher Rank List published in December 2018. There are 2,629 candidates on the main list for 13 districts. However, there have been only 138 appointment recommendations. The number of candidates recommended from the previous rank list for the post was 554.

Although the Forest Department has been telling the PSC that there are no posts to be filled, it has been busy recruiting many people in temporary posts and then making them permanent.

It seems that the party holding the Forest Department in the government itself is coming in the way of appointments through the PSC. Last year, the trade union affiliated to the party had gone to court saying that the 2,351 people appointed on a temporary basis in the department should be made permanent.

In fact, the department went about making temporary employees permanent even after the PSC issued notification for the Watcher’s post and also after the rank list came out.

The department is wary of making a vacancy known even if it needs employees because the appointment to the post would then have to be made through the PSC. Instead, if the department terms it a temporary post, it can appoint anyone it wants. The appointment would only depend only on the government in power and the ruling parties.

Undermining PSC

It’s been 24 years since the PSC was given the responsibility of making appointments in co-operative apex institutions. But many appointments in most of these organisations are still made through the backdoor.

The apex bodies have been undermining the PSC’s role by not framing rules to hand over appointments to the commission, and by not reporting vacancies.

The subversion has been so successful that not even a single recommendation for the post of LD clerk in apex bodies has been sent from the PSC list that came into force on February 26.

All temporary appointments are ‘reserved’ for political leaders' relatives and party supporters.

Matsyafed alone has over 100 vacancies for junior clerk, LD clerk (LDCs) and in other similar posts.

The Kerala State Cooperative Agricultural and Rural Development Bank invited applications for LDCs even though the PSC had already issued a notification for making appointments to the post in apex bodies, while Capex, Handicraft (Surabhi), Rutronix, Texfed, Tourfed, Vanitha Fed, Hospital Fed, Labourfed and Marketfed (co-op) ed and Market Fed (co-op) have not been reporting vacancies to the PSC.

Concealing vacancies for own benefit

As many departments continued to hide details about vacancies, LDC candidates in Kollam decided to take matters into their own hands. They went to government offices and met officials in person to collect information on vacancies.

They also used the RTI to get answers to most of their questions. They discovered that vacancies are not being reported in the Revenue, Health and Education departments and they also found out the reason behind it.

The vacancies are ‘safeguarded’ for some ‘close associates’ looking for inter-district transfers to a place of their choice, by not reporting about them to the PSC. When the time for transfer comes, the person concerned just has to say, “Look, here is a vacancy, I can go there.” The vacancy is usually in his or her native place.

Appointments with political influence

Supplyco has been going against PSC candidates by not enforcing the staff pattern. Vacancies are being reported based on the staff pattern that was in place many years ago.

There are hundreds of temporary employees in Supplyco, both in existing and non-existing posts. The only major qualification needed is political influence.

The head office empowers shop managers to make temporary appointments. But appointments are made disregarding the manager’s authority. While those on the PSC rank list wait for an appointment, people come with ‘recommendation' letters of the local leader and take up the post.

There are more than 80 temporary staff at the head office alone.

Case after the exam 

PSC rank lists are made pointless by the many cases that have been pending in courts for years due to the government’s failure to attempt for timely settlement. By the time the case and court’s stay are over, the rank lists expire.

The problem doesn’t end there. The courts are approached again if the government does or does not make an appointment based on the expired rank list.

It is not enough to study and get a good rank. A candidate seeking a government job should also be able to spend lakhs to fight a case in court.

Rank list valid for just a day!

This is what happened with the rank list for civil police officers after youth leader Shivaranjith, who secured the first rank, was found to have copied during the exam.

The candidates who appeared for the Idukki (KAP 5) and Ernakulam (KAP 1) examinations were the ones affected. The list with their names was valid for only one day — one day and seven hours, to be precise. Here's what happened:

— 2017: Applications for the police post were invited. Many candidates had started their preparations for the exam even before the applications were invited.

— 2018: The exam was held.

— 2019: The fitness test is conducted. Many candidates had prepared for 4-5 years to reach this stage.

— July 2019: The rank list was published. The first rank went to Shivaranjith!

— The process for recruitment from the list started. While those on the list were waiting with anticipation, Shivaranjith got involved in a stabbing incident at University College. In the ensuing investigation, it was found that he had copied in the exam.

— Following a vigilance inquiry, the court stayed appointment from the list.

— The stay was vacated after four-and-a-half months and advice memos were sent again. Meanwhile, Tribunal interfered in a case filed by candidates of the previous list from KAP Idukki and Ernakulam against vacancies not being revealed. Recruitment process could not continue.

— The PSC approached the HC. Rank list was kept in abeyance due to the case.

— On June 29, the High Court stayed the tribunal's verdict. It ordered that appointments be made based on the new rank list.

— The rank list expired on the next day, July 30

Neither the government nor the PSC took any action to extend the validity of the list even though it was a party activist who was responsible for the stalling of appointments. The reward for the thousands of candidates who worked hard and wrote the exam lasted only for a day and seven hours.

The current status:

— No one has been appointed yet from the list for Idukki (KAP 5) (the advisory memos for some are ready).

— Only 38 people on the Ernakulam (KAP 1) list got jobs (500 people got advice memo messages on mobile). The appointment has not been made.

While those who get the advice memo will get an appointment, those on this rank list will not be able to join the NJD vacancies caused by those not joining duty. Usually, there are at least 50 NJD vacancies to be filled when so many advice memos are sent. Here again, candidates are being punished for no fault of theirs.

Contributed by: Renji Kuriakose, Santosh John Thooval, Ramesh Ezhuthachan, SV Rajesh, Mintu P Jacob, Joji Simon, KP Safina, Jerin Joy, Robin T Varghese, Sajesh Karanattukara, Kapil Raj, Manish Mohan, Sijith Payyannur. 

Compiled by: Nidheesh Chandran